About two thousand Orthodox Jews try to cross the border into Ukraine from Belarus (what we called Belarus until recently). The faithful want to make an annual pilgrimage to Ukraine, but are stopped by the country’s border guards. An improvised camp has been set up at the border crossing.
Every year, tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews from France, the United States and Israel, among others, travel to the grave of an important rabbi in Ukraine to celebrate the Jewish New Year.
Some 2,000 pilgrims have ignored a warning from Ukraine not to travel. After being let through by the Belarusian Border Guard, they have been waiting for the Ukrainian border since Tuesday. Tents have been set up between the border posts of the two countries and many pilgrims sleep in the open air.
Ukraine closed its borders late last month due to the corona crisis. Israel had already asked the country to limit the pilgrimage as much as possible because of the virus. Israeli Education Minister Ze’ev Elkin is calling on pilgrims to leave the border area and respect the Ukrainian entry ban.
During the Jewish New Year, Orthodox Jews visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman in Uman, who revived the Hasidic movement and died in 1810.
Belarus offers pilgrims bus rides
The waiting pilgrims have now become part of mounting tensions between Ukraine and Belarus. Kiev accuses Minsk of “knowingly or unknowingly” spreading rumors that the border is still open. The Belarusian authorities are also said to encourage pilgrims to travel to Ukraine via this route.
Belarus says Ukraine is treating pilgrims “inhumane”. The country has offered to take the pilgrims to the grave and back in buses.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Ukraine decided, along with European member states, not to recognize authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko’s recent election win.
Mass protests against the government have been going on in Belarus for months. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition, will speak in the European Parliament on Monday.
Why do we call Belarus Belarus from now on?
- Since independence in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country has been officially called the Republic of Belarus. That name is therefore used in official texts. Belarus does more justice to what the population calls the country itself. Some Belarusians take offense at the name Belarus because of the association with Russia. Previously, we used the established name Belarus, because it is more recognizable to many readers.
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