An Israeli citizen who was born in Ukraine was detained while returning from the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Uman after Ukrainian authorities determined he was subject to military service, according to his family and people familiar with the case.
The 49-year-old man, a resident of Beitar Illit, a predominantly ultra-Orthodox city in the West Bank, was stopped at Ukraine’s border with Romania after spending the Jewish New Year in Uman. He is one of four Breslov Hasidim reported detained in separate incidents connected to this year’s pilgrimage.
Hasidic Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah in Uman
(Photo: Serhii Okunev / AFP)
The man, who has lived in Israel for many years, is married and studies at a yeshiva. He became religious later in life and holds Israeli citizenship but was born in Ukraine.
During a document check at the border, Ukrainian authorities determined that he was subject to the country’s military service requirements, according to people familiar with the case. He was detained and taken for military service, they said. His family has since lost contact with him and says it does not know where he is being held.
Ukraine has maintained wartime mobilization measures as it continues to fight Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian law imposes military obligations on eligible male citizens, though the circumstances in which dual nationals living abroad may be subject to those requirements depend on their citizenship status and other factors.
“He spoke to them in Ukrainian and was joking around with the soldiers there, and then they took him aside, checked him and discovered that he was required to enlist, and they simply detained him,” a person familiar with the case said.
His family has been unable to reach him and is deeply concerned about his whereabouts.
Members of the Breslov community who have tried to intervene said they have also been unable to determine where he was taken or secure his release.
“We are at a loss,” one activist familiar with the case said. “We approached all the rabbis and activists in Ukraine, and no one has a solution for how to get him released.”
Another person familiar with the case described the situation as “tragic,” saying the man has few connections who could assist him and that his family cannot afford to hire an attorney.
The Foreign Ministry told the family that it did not yet know precisely where the man was being held and was working to locate him.
Uman, a city in central Ukraine, draws tens of thousands of mostly Orthodox Jewish pilgrims each year for Rosh Hashanah. Followers of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement who died in 1810 and is buried in Uman, regard praying at his grave during the holiday as having particular spiritual significance. The pilgrimage has continued despite the war with Russia.
Three other Breslov Hasidim were detained in separate incidents in Cyprus and Moldova in connection with their journeys to or from Uman.
One was arrested after landing in Cyprus on his way to Ukraine. About a year earlier, he had sent a suitcase containing khat, a plant with stimulant properties that is restricted or illegal in a number of countries, to Cyprus, according to people familiar with the case. He ultimately decided not to make that trip, but the suitcase arrived at its destination.
His name was subsequently flagged by authorities, and he was arrested when he attempted to enter Cyprus on his latest journey.
Two other pilgrims were detained in separate cases in Moldova, a common transit point for Israelis traveling to Uman because commercial air travel to Ukraine remains severely restricted by the war.
One was arrested after allegedly striking a local resident with a vehicle and seriously injuring the person. A court extended his detention by 40 days.
The fourth man was arrested in Chisinau, Moldova’s capital, while returning from Uman after authorities allegedly found forged passports in his possession.
He was released on bail Friday but was ordered to remain in Moldova while legal proceedings continue.