Israeli police arrive in Uman to help secure Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage
Israeli police have arrived in Uman, Cherkasy Oblast, to maintain public order alongside Ukrainian law enforcement during the annual Hasidic Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage. Israeli and Ukrainian officers, joined by State Emergency Service rescuers and National Guard troops, are conducting joint patrols and outreach to pilgrims. Police describe the situation in the city as stable and controlled.
Key points
- Israeli police arrived in Uman to jointly maintain public order with Ukrainian law enforcement during Rosh Hashanah.
- Israeli and Ukrainian police, together with DSNS rescuers and National Guard servicemembers, are conducting joint patrols and outreach among pilgrims.
- The Israeli officers will remain in Uman until the end of Rosh Hashanah.
- The Cherkasy Oblast police announced the arrival; Ukrainian sources date it to September 5, others to September 6.
- Rosh Hashanah in 2026 is observed from the evening of September 11 to the evening of September 13.
- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry in late July recommended that Israeli pilgrims refrain from traveling to Uman due to the war and Russian shelling; the U.S. State Department also urged Americans not to travel, citing the threat of Russian strikes and a shortage of shelters.
- A Russian missile strike on an apartment building in Uman in 2023 killed 23 people, including six children.
Why it matters
The coordinated Israeli-Ukrainian policing operation supports one of the largest annual religious gatherings in Ukraine during wartime. Uman has been the site of a deadly Russian missile strike, and both Kyiv and Washington have issued security warnings, yet tens of thousands of Hasidic pilgrims continue to travel to the city each year for Rosh Hashanah.
What happened
Israeli police arrived in Uman, Cherkasy Oblast, to help Ukrainian law enforcement maintain public order during the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage. The arrival was reported by the Cherkasy Oblast police, with Ukrainian sources giving the date as September 5 and others as September 6. Ukrainian and Israeli officers held a coordination meeting and agreed on joint actions in the pilgrimage area. Together with State Emergency Service rescuers and National Guard servicemembers, they are conducting joint patrols and explanatory outreach among pilgrims. The Israeli officers are to remain in Uman until the end of the holiday. Police described the situation in the city as stable and controlled. Rosh Hashanah in 2026 runs from the evening of September 11 to the evening of September 13.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All supplied sources are Ukrainian, and the Cherkasy Oblast police serve as the primary source for the story. Coverage emphasizes the joint Ukrainian-Israeli coordination and the involvement of the State Emergency Service and National Guard, while police characterize the situation as stable and controlled. Ukrainian outlets also foreground official security warnings from Kyiv and Washington and recall the 2023 Russian strike on Uman to contextualize the risks.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the date of the Cherkasy Oblast police announcement about the Israeli officers' arrival: some give September 5, others Sunday, September 6. Two sources also frame the 2025 pilgrimage turnout slightly differently — one says 'more than 35,000 Hasidim again arrived,' another attributes the figure to Ukraine's border service and notes that pilgrims came despite security warnings — but both agree on the headline number of more than 35,000.
Background
Uman is the site of the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement, which draws tens of thousands of Hasidic pilgrims each Rosh Hashanah. In 2023 a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the city killed 23 people, including six children. Roughly 35,000 Hasidim still visited Uman that year; more than 30,000 came in 2024, with some deterred by an Iranian air attack on Israel in early October; and more than 35,000 arrived in 2025 despite security warnings. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended in late July that Israeli pilgrims refrain from traveling to Uman due to the security situation linked to the war and Russian shelling. The U.S. State Department also advised Americans against travel to Uman, citing the threat of Russian strikes and a shortage of shelters, and warned dual Ukrainian-American citizens of potential mobilization-related difficulties leaving Ukraine.