Hasidim celebrate Rosh Hashanah in Uman in 2019. Photo: Kolian Pastyko, Hromadske

I know Uman; I have been there more than a few times. Lovely Place. Especially the Jewish Temple

Initially, on 25 August, President Zelenskyy announced at an urgent meeting that Ukraine will close its borders to foreigners incoming from “red zone” countries (currently, where there are more than 55 active COVID-19 cases per 100,000 of population). But the next day, the ban was extended to all countries, even “green” ones, and was to start on 29 August.

But on 27 August, the date was suddenly changed to the 28th, doing a disservice to all who urgently purchased tickets to make it inside the borders before they were closed – according to sources of BBC, because at that day, Hasidic Jews had already started arriving for their annual traditional pilgrimage to Uman.

The restrictions will be in place until 28 September; exceptions are made for the following categories of foreigners:

• People with a permanent or temporary residence permit in Ukraine;
• Refugees or those in need of special protection;
• Diplomats, employees of international organizations and their families, as well as those officially invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• NATO military instructors or the Alliance’s Partnership for Peace program, which will train Ukrainian troops or travel at the invitation of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
• Those who pass through Ukraine in transit and leave it within two days (and there are relevant documents);
  People studying in Ukraine;
• Foreigners serving in the Armed Forces;
• Bus drivers and crew members of planes, ships and trains that have regular routes in Ukraine;
• Cultural figures who come at the invitation of cultural institutions, and one accompanying person;
• Athletes at official competitions and those accompanying them;
• Carriers of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation;
• Those undergoing treatment in Ukrainian medical institutions;
• Foreigners with first-line relatives in Ukraine;
• Those with an official work permit in Ukraine;
• Technical specialists who will come at the invitation of Ukrainian companies.

Although the Ukrainian government denies it, the reason for these baffling policy curveballs lies in the traditional pilgrimage of Hasidic Jews to the grave of Tsadik Nahman in the central-Ukrainian town of Uman for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

And although Ukraine has been experiencing a surge in new coronavirus cases, only a desire to thwart the annual Jewish gathering can explain the sudden policy turn.

“If somebody tells you this is because of coronavirus, he is a liar. The Hasidim are THE ONLY reason for the [border] closure. Period. And I, for one, am not thrilled that my government is lying to me,” European Pravda editor Serhiy Sydorenko commented on the decision to close the borders.

Hasidim celebrate Rosh Hashanah in Uman in 2019. Photo: Kolian Pastyko, Hromadske