The streets of Uman, a small city in central Ukraine, are once again alive with chants, songs and the sound of prayer as tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews gather to mark Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Despite the shadow of Russia’s ongoing invasion and repeated warnings from Kyiv against large gatherings, the pilgrimage has drawn more than 35,000 faithful – a spectacle of devotion, tradition and resilience, reported Interfax-Ukraine.

According to Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, the bulk of pilgrims crossed the border in recent days from the European Union and Moldova. “On some days, their number could fluctuate between 4,000, 8,000 and 11,000,” spokesman Andriy Demchenko is quoted as saying, adding that some were refused entry due to problems with documents or past violations of Ukrainian law.

Yet the flow has not stopped. The United Jewish Community of Ukraine estimates that as many as 38,000 worshippers may eventually arrive in Uman, home to the burial site of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, founder of the Hasidic movement.

For more than 200 years, Uman has been the beating heart of this pilgrimage. The faithful travel from Israel, Europe, and the United States to be close to Rabbi Nachman’s grave, reciting prayers and seeking renewal as the Jewish year begins. This year’s holiday begins at sunset on September 22 and continues until the evening of September 24.

The journey, however, is far from straightforward. With Ukraine’s skies closed to civilian flights and roads often disrupted by strikes, pilgrims arrive by circuitous routes through Poland, Hungary and Moldova. Uman itself lies around 300 kilometres from the front line, and has not been spared from Russian missile and drone attacks in the past.

Still, the risk does little to deter the faithful. “I think we’re the only tourists in Ukraine right now,” Ran Frank, a 35-year-old from Jerusalem, told The Kyiv Post. “But I feel less afraid here than in Israel. Ukraine is more spread out – it feels safer.”

Another pilgrim, 40-year-old Eliran Acoca, insisted nothing would prevent him from making the journey, telling the newspaper, “If the Messiah will come, we don’t come here, but until the Messiah comes… we continue to reach here every year. No matter how much it’s going to cost, we will come every year to Uman.”

The symbolism of Rosh Hashanah gives the pilgrimage added meaning. Albert Feldman, director of the Ukrainian-Israeli Golda Meir Institute for Strategic Studies, described it as a time of reflection and renewal in an interview to RBC-Ukraine. “Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a 10-day cycle of atonement,” he explained. “It is when Jews recall their sins from the past year and prepare for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These are called the Days of Awe – not festive, not mournful, but deeply reflective.”

Celebrations revolve around prayer and symbolic foods. Pomegranates, representing abundance and the 613 commandments, adorn tables. Apples dipped in honey symbolise hopes for a sweet year, while the head of a fish or ram marks new beginnings. Candles are lit, and in many synagogues the ritual shofar – a ram’s horn – sounds to open the holiday, echoing through halls and streets alike.

This year, as in 2023 and 2024, the holiday takes place against a backdrop of conflict. Kyiv has urged caution, warning that large gatherings could become targets for Russian strikes. Local authorities in Uman have reinforced security near the Rabbi Nachman Memorial Complex, where crowds gather day and night to pray.

For the pilgrims, however, the celebration is more than a ritual. It is a declaration of faith in the face of fear, a journey to a city that has become a spiritual home despite war. As dusk falls and the first prayers of the New Year rise, Uman’s streets transform into a chorus of devotion, reminding the world that even amid conflict, tradition endures.