Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky predicts that this year twice as many Hasidim will come to Uman as last year.
The diplomat stated this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
"According to our forecasts, this year almost twice as many (Hasidim) will come than last year," Brodsky said.
He explained this by the fact that last year there were fears about the security situation, but since nothing extraordinary happened, the Hasidim believe it will be safe there.
"We, of course, continue to say that Ukraine is not the safest place in the world. There is an ongoing war, and anything can happen. Since Ukraine has not restricted the entry of pilgrims in any way, and Israel cannot do so technically (cannot and does not want to do so), tens of thousands of pilgrims will come this year as well," predicted the Israeli ambassador.
According to him, the Israeli side has very good contact with Ukrainian services that ensure security and order in Uman.
Brodsky also noted that this year, as in previous years, Israeli police officers are scheduled to arrive in Uman to help their Ukrainian colleagues ensure order and safety of pilgrims.
"I hope that, like last year, everything will go more or less smoothly, and pilgrims will arrive and leave in a few days without any issues," the diplomat summarized.
As reported, in early April, almost 2 thousand Hasidic pilgrims came to Uman to celebrate the birthday of their spiritual mentor Rabbi Nachman.
Rosh Hashanah will be celebrated this year from October 2 to 4.