The annual pilgrimage is clouded accusations of Uman residents that the Hassids are more interested in partying than praying.
The annual Hassid pilgrimage to the town of Uman in central Ukraine degenerated into acrimony, fisticuffs and accusations of theft.
Locals blamed pilgrims – who came in record numbers of 25,000 Hasidic Jews – for being more interested in partying than praying.
Hassids countered that residents of Uman, with a population of less than 90,000 people, were trying to take advantage of the visitors.
What seemed clear is that Uman was not prepared for the flood of visitors this year, with local authorities accused of poor management and corruption.
The occasion was supposed to be a joyous one: Hassid pilgrims from many nations came to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of a revered Jewish prophet, Rabbi Nachman, who is buried in the city.
Locals and visitors say conflicts and misunderstandings often occur, but this year was the worst in the last two decades since pilgrims were allowed to make the journey after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“Different kinds of people come. Some are very polite, intelligent and religious, while others seem to come here to drink and party.”
- Vitaliy Ivanchenko, Uman resident.
The worst case saw 10 Hassids deported after two locals were stabbed following an altercation on Sept. 10. Witnesses say a woman who, like many others in Uman, was renting her apartment to pilgrims. The story is that she got into a conflict with them after asking them to tidy up.
“A neighbor heard the noise and threatened to call the police,” said Viktor Dunayev, a local who witnessed the conflict. “Hassids started to grab his cell phone. The men rushed out to the street. They ran after him and started to beat him up. A random passerby tried to intervene and he was stabbed by Hassids.”
When police arrived they were attacked with stones by Hassids, 10 of whom were detained and deported, with three more in custody and under investigation.
However, some Hassids dispute this version, saying pilgrims intervened when they noticed local men carrying stolen passports, and a fight started.
Others accuse the police of acting with excessive force. One of the wounded men remains in hospital, while the other has recovered enough to be sent home.
According to local police, at least two other physical altercations took place on the same day amid accusations of robbery and violence.
These kinds of conflicts fuel mutual misunderstandings and stereotypes.
When entering the district where the Hassids are staying, which is encircled by a police cordon, a police officer warned this Kyiv Post journalist: “They can rape a woman if she enters alone. It’s very dangerous!”
The reality turned out to be something altogether more benign. The Hassids appeared content to go about their business, barely taking notice of journalists.
“Different kinds of people come. Some are very polite, intelligent and religious, while others seem to come here to drink and party,” said Uman resident Vitaliy Ivanchenko, who lives close to the district occupied by pilgrims.
“It seems like they don’t respect the country they are coming to,” added his wife Lidiya, pointing to heaps of garbage left outside their house.
“It would be great to actually receive the services we pay for. Instead there was no hot water and cold water was in short supply most of the time. There is not a single garbage bin and the litter is rarely collected. Last year we tried to get a private company to deal with garbage, but the city administration resisted and let us know that the money should be paid to them only.”
- Shimon Baskila, a representative of International Brachlav Hassid` Charity fund.
At the same time not a single garbage bin could be seen in the whole Hassid district on weekend.
Shimon Baskila, a representative of International Brachlav Hassid` Charity fund said a total of around Hr 500,000 (around $60,000) was paid to local police and firefighters, as well as utility services and garbage collection.
“It would be great to actually receive the services we pay for. Instead there was no hot water and cold water was in short supply most of the time. There is not a single garbage bin and the litter is rarely collected. Last year we tried to get a private company to deal with garbage, but the city administration resisted and let us know that the money should be paid to them only,” complained Baskila.
Uman residents are also outraged at the local authorities’ failure to provide services in line with the money given.
“There was a protest rally before the pilgrimage started where people demanded transparency in the allocation of funds,” said German Rakhmatulin, who heads an alliance of civil society organizations in Uman. His organization had suggested creating a fund where every pilgrim would pay $15 into a fund, operated and monitored by representatives of the Hassids, the city administration and community representatives, he said, but the idea was rejected.
“The city needs so much – roads, utilities services, garbage bins, city lights, public lavatories. These are where money from pilgrims could go and both Uman residents and pilgrims would benefit,” said local resident Dunayev.
Local authorities denied the corruption allegations. “All money are paid officially, via bank and go directly to the budget,” said Petro Payevsky, deputy head of Uman town administration.
More than anything else, the problems seem to be caused by a lack of mutual understanding between the guests and the host. “Locals know little about Hassids and their religion,” said Volodymyr Hamalytsya, an Uman journalist who has covered the pilgrimage for years. But, “many Hassids have no idea about Ukraine," he added.
17 September 2010, KyivPost