As controversy rages around the question of whether or not Hassidic Jews will be allowed to make the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to pray at the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Uman, in Ukraine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Higher Education Minister Zeev Elkin to lead a ministerial team charged with working out a plan that would allow visits in accordance with the strict Ukrainian public health measures.
The team includes Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Interior Minister Arye Deri, and Science Minister Izhar Shay.
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Edelstein said last week that "Unfortunately, a sense of national responsibility says that this is not the time to fly to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Uman."
On Wednesday, the Ukraine announced that it had temporarily banned foreign citizens from entering its borders during September due to an outbreak of coronavirus. In part, the Ukrainian authorities enacted the ban to avoid the crowds of tens of thousands of Hassidic faithful who visit Uman each year.
On Thursday, a group of over 100 Breslov Hassidim who had been detained for hours were allowed to enter the country, and made their way to Uman. This weekend, scuffles were reported at the entrance to the city, and a video clip disseminated on social media shows residents of Uman trying to turn back arriving Hassidim.
The coordinator of Israel's battle to fight the spread of coronavirus Professor Ronni Gamzu has taken a firm stance opposing visits to Uman this year, saying that the pilgrimage "could send Israel into a lockdown" by starting an outbreak.
Coalition Chairman Miki Zohar and Housing and Construction Minister Yakov Litzman attacked Gamzu for reaching out to the president of the Ukraine and asking him to stop the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage.
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