The Trek Back From Uman

By: Larry Gordon

Next year in Jerusalem.

If not, then G-d forbid, it just might be next year in Uman.

There’s a great deal to explore when writing about these annual Rosh Hashanah treks to the city of Uman in central Ukraine, which houses the burial site of the great Chassidic master, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.

Born in Medzibuz, Ukraine in 1772, Rabbi Nachman died in Uman in 1810. There is a legend that in 1768, the Massacre of Uman took place, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Jews, who were buried in a mass grave, and that is why Rabbi Nachman chose this site to be buried, so he could aid in the spiritual redemption of the departed souls of those thousands of martyred Jews. The continuing influence and impact of this one man is still felt all these years later. As a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Nachman is best known for combining the study of Kabbalah with in-depth Torah scholarship.

Obviously, with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the situation has become tenser than it used to be. It has been like that since the war broke out at the beginning of 2022, yet, despite the conflagration and some high-level bombing from Russia, by some miracle, Uman was been spared.

For many years you can view on YouTube and on news sites the comings and goings of people making their way to Uman for Rosh Hashanah and the various ways they employ to reach their destination. Since 2022, commercial airlines find it way too dangerous to transport passengers anywhere in Ukraine. For that reason, the country has closed many of the smaller and larger airports.

Once yom tov is over, the exodus from Uman has become something of a great adventure for thousands of travelers. In fact, the unpredictability of it all came to my attention when three Breslover Chassidim from Monsey appeared in shul here in the Five Towns just before the start of Shabbos due to the fact that their flight from Eastern Europe was delayed in taking off and landed too close to the zman to make the trek back to Monsey.

It doesn’t happen often, but being that the Five Towns is the closest frum community to JFK means that on occasion, a Shomer Shabbos traveler will arrive here in the city very close to the zman, too late to make it anywhere but our community in time for Shabbos, which leaves it up to us to host these last-minute guests.

And that’s how it was on the Shabbos right after Rosh Hashanah, when a few guests arrived in the Five Towns needing a place to stay.

For Avrohom Schwartz, his friend, and one of their teenage sons, their plane from Europe landed at JFK on Friday at 5:20 p.m., just an hour before the onset of Shabbos. Avrohom’s original plan was to make it home to Monsey before Shabbos, but that was not to be, and please permit me to take you through his itinerary to explain why.

First of all, because of the war in Ukraine, there really are no flights in or out of the country, so anyone who was determined to spend Rosh Hashanah in Uman had to either fly into Moldova or Poland, which are both quite a distance from Rabbi Nachman’s resting spot.

In the case of Mr. Schwartz and his party, their plan was to take a small rented van from Uman to Kishinev in Moldova, a trip that normally takes twelve hours with the expected delay of spending six hours crossing the border into Moldova.

Rabbi Zushe Abelsky is the Chabad shliach in Kishinev, Moldova. Ever since the war broke out, Moldova has become the safe zone for anyone traveling to and from Uman. He told me on Sunday that in the immediate aftermath of Rosh Hashanah, about 500 people who had spent Rosh Hashanah in Uman made their way either by bus or train to Moldova before moving on to their next transit point on their way back to the United States.

Of course, all of the hotels and guest rooms in Moldova were booked way in advance. Rabbi Abelsky has a policy of not allowing people to sleep in the shul, but given the influx of guests this past Shabbos, he had no choice but to permit around 150 people to sleep in the shul. In addition to sleeping quarters, Chabad of Kishinev provides meals and everything from a mikvah to medical attention when and if needed.

In the case of Mr. Schwartz’s party, after the six-hour delay crossing the border into Moldova, their next step was to fly from Moldova to Bucharest, Romania, where it’s possible to catch a direct nine-hour flight to JFK. The issue here was that the flight from Bucharest was delayed, and Rabbi Schwartz had time to call his wife in Monsey to let her know there were delays, and to call a family they knew locally to ask if they could accommodate them for Shabbos.

Avrohom Moshe Schwartz, who directs the research department at Dor Yesharim, is well-acquainted with a number of doctors in many communities, including here in the Five Towns. His wife called Dr. Lazar, a local pediatrician who communicated the information to his wife, telling her they were having three additional guests for Shabbos.

And so, the guests were treated in high style. They davened and had aliyahs at the Bais Berish shul in Lawrence and partook of the kiddush in shul before returning home after what was quite an eventful, if unexpected, Shabbos adventure.

I asked Rabbi Schwartz at the kiddush why he insists on spending Rosh Hashanah every year in Uman despite the danger and certainly the inconvenience. His response was that Rabbi Nachman left a message for future generations that his followers should spend Rosh Hashanah with him at his burial site in Uman year after year. “The Rebbe told us to come and visit, so we go,” he said.

Today’s Uman is not like it used to be years ago. There is every amenity available, including catered food, lodging, and even a large kosher supermarket. And best of all, you get to heed the call of Rabbi Nachman from over 200 years ago to spend Rosh Hashanah with him. That berachah is certainly worth any minor inconvenience. 

Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.