The Ukrainian government will allow vaccinated Israelis to make an annual Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslev in the city of Uman, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported on Friday.
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The development reportedly came amid talks of Israel sending surplus COVID-19 vaccinations to Kiev.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov is said to have reached the agreement on Friday after a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri.
Every year, tens of thousands of Israelis travel to the central Ukrainian city of Uman to worship at the tomb of the 19th-century Hasidic rabbi, founder of the Breslev movement.
Last year, however, Ukrainian authorities blocked entry into the country and refused to organize the pilgrimage due to coronavirus pandemic, leading to thousands being stranded at the Ukraine-Belarus border.
Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky, who won a landslide victory in 2019, has recently seen his poll numbers lag as the pandemic has further damaged the country's struggling economy.
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"The key condition for the implementation of this large-scale measure [the organization of the pilgrimage] will be the improvement of the epidemiological situation in Ukraine and the preliminary vaccination of visitors," a statement released by Avakov's office said.
The statement also mentioned "assistance from Israel in providing vaccine packages."
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
