01 бер 2024 6 min read News

Jewish Communities Worldwide Are Forced to Ask the US Government to Protect Their Shrine in Uman

Is Ukraine today paying only with international reputational damage and the outrage of Jews around the world for the desecration of the site of mass burials and the "Holy Zion" of Rabbi Nachman?

Let the Dead Rest in Peace

The Ancient Jewish Cemetery in Uman is one large grave for tens of thousands of Jews—innocent victims of the bloody massacre in the distant year of 1768 during the Koliyivshchyna.

In 1810, forty years after the tragedy, the founder of Breslov Hasidism, Rabbi Nachman, stood in the deathly silence of the cemetery and heard the groans of those buried there.

The Rabbi bequeathed to be buried right here. Because this place has special holiness, and after death, he would be able to intercede for his people before the Almighty. He also assured that those who pray at the Uman cemetery near his grave will receive powerful protection.

It will be quite different for those who encroach on the peace of the dead. For, according to Hasidic teachings, the soul feels burning pain if even slightly the bodily remains—in which it existed and will be resurrected—are disturbed. Therefore, respect for graves and the prohibition on the slightest violation of them is an unconditional requirement of Judaism.

Ultimately, this is a requirement of all world religions, which warn: terrible retribution awaits anyone who encroaches on the peace of the dead.

But is this taken into account in Uman? In the Hasidic pilgrimage area in the historical part of Uman, not far from the grave of Rabbi Nachman—sacred to Jews—construction is underway. Moreover, this is happening in plain sight of numerous pilgrims from around the world who come to Uman for the great Jewish holiday to bow to the "Holy Zion," as the grave of Rabbi Nachman is also called. Stunned by what they consider sacrilege, the Hasidim are raising the alarm, demanding that their religious leaders take all possible measures.

"We respectfully ask the authorities of Ukraine at all levels to immediately stop illegal construction on the cemetery territory and demolish the illegally erected buildings there, to let the dead rest in peace and preserve, while it is still possible, the grave of Rabbi Nachman in a state befitting its sacred status,"

—states numerous appeals from world authorities of Hasidism from the USA, Israel, and European countries, who have been fighting for years to preserve their great shrine on Ukrainian soil and hope to be heard.

Prayer Against the Bulldozer

The historical shrine is not being destroyed by time. It can be destroyed by the greed and self-interest of those who decided to profit from the religious feelings of pilgrims.

Over 50,000 Hasidim from all corners of the world hurry to Uman for the Jewish New Year holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Even war does not stop them.

For some, it is the salvation of the soul. For others, it is an opportunity to get a tidy profit from pilgrims willing to pay $250–2500 per day for accommodation. Perhaps the latter encourages builders.

It seems like nothing bad—demand creates supply. But at the center of mercantile interests is the site of the old cemetery and the grave of Rabbi Nachman itself.

"In the pursuit of profit, developers are erecting buildings in the protected zone of the monument without obtaining permission from the cultural heritage protection authority and in violation of the prohibition established by current Ukrainian legislation," notes Iryna Rybnytska, director of the Charitable Foundation "Historical and Cultural Center of the City of Uman," in a conversation with us. "In total, in Uman, out of 17 unauthorized structures, six are located on the territory of the Historical and Cultural Center and directly in the protected zone of the cultural monument of local significance 'Grave of Tzaddik Nachman (1811),' which are under state protection."

The protected status of ancient cemeteries was secured through international agreements between Ukraine and the USA, in particular the "Agreement on the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage" dated March 4, 1994, thanks to the efforts of influential international organizations.

By Presidential Decree of Ukraine dated June 7, 1994, the territory of the Ancient Jewish Cemetery received the status of the Historical and Cultural Center of the City of Uman. The burial place of the spiritual leader of Hasidism was recognized as a cultural monument of local significance in accordance with the decision of the Executive Committee of the Cherkasy Regional Council No. 23 dated February 7, 1995.

Based on developed scientific and practical documentation, on April 9, 2021, the Department of Culture and Cultural Heritage Protection of the Cherkasy Regional State Administration approved the boundaries and regimes of use of protected zones. This decision introduced a ban on construction work on the cemetery territory.

Thus, in the fall of 2022, during construction work in the area of Tourist Street (former Pushkin Street), right on the Jewish New Year, soil with human bones was exposed. For Hasidic pilgrims, this was a shock. They collected the remains and reburied them to stop the abuse of the memory of the dead.

But for builders who calmly continue working, it seems already commonplace—to dig up human remains from pits and drive metal piles into the skeletons of old graves.

Local media are full of such chilling reports, along with information about accidents disguised as traffic incidents at illegal construction sites: someone fell from a height, someone died in a mine shaft, someone was crushed by a concrete slab. Desecration of graves does not go unpunished.

Recently, everyone was shocked by the case when wind destroyed the unfinished top floor of a scandalous high-rise that had grown in the protected zone of the Jewish cemetery. This happened right after the Sixth Appellate Court of Kyiv ruled this object non-compliant with Ukrainian laws.

Comfort on Human Remains

Jewish organizations claim that, in violation of the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On the Protection of Cultural Heritage," without observing protected boundaries, a significant part of the Ancient Jewish Cemetery has already been built over. Although nearby there is a huge free territory where all infrastructure for pilgrims could be built.

In official responses to letters from the specially created International Committee of Breslov Rabbis for the protection of the cemetery and the "Holy Zion," Uman Mayor Iryna Pletnyova confirms the fact of the absence of permitting documents for construction objects erected in the legally protected territory of the Jewish cemetery on Pushkin, Belinsky, Tolstoy, and Perovska Streets.

"The Uman City Council is taking all necessary measures to ensure control over unauthorized construction and bring unauthorized objects built earlier into compliance with current legislation, especially on the territory of a historical monument of local significance," assures Iryna Hryhorivna. "In particular, to timely stop illegal construction work, a communal enterprise 'Uman Varta' has been created. However, solving the problem of unauthorized development in the Hasidic pilgrimage area is hindered by imperfections in construction legislation and the lack of appropriate powers in local self-government bodies. Developers take advantage of this, evading inspections. Therefore, it is difficult to hold them accountable, establish the fact of unauthorized construction, and file a lawsuit. Even if an inspection is conducted and a lawsuit is filed, due to imperfections in the judicial system, cases are considered for years."

Of course, all these problems could have been avoided, not bringing the situation to courts and protests by the Jewish community at the international level, if the city authorities had resolutely not allowed developers to violate cultural and historical heritage protection laws at the very beginning of conflicts.

Nevertheless, the Uman City Council managed not only to file a lawsuit but also to win the court case No. 580/174/22 regarding illegal construction on Tourist Street (former Pushkin Street), 56, which gained scandalous publicity not only in Ukraine.

"In execution of the court decision, enforcement proceedings have been opened, and the developer is obliged to demolish this unauthorized eight-story building at their own expense," explains Iryna Pletnyova.

Unified State Register of Court Decisions:
https://reyestr.court.gov.ua/Review/108014695
https://reyestr.court.gov.ua/Review/110156458

Despite court decisions and orders from local authorities prohibiting work in the protected zone of the monument "Grave of Tzaddik Nachman (1811)," construction organizations continue to violate, as Hasidim believe, the sanctity of the cemetery.

The Breslov community has been joined by Jewish communities worldwide, and in numerous appeals to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they humbly ask to protect the shrine of Jewish heritage in Ukraine from destruction. To support their just demands, they also turn to influential international structures, in particular, the US government.

"Ukraine is the cradle of Hasidism. Ukrainian land is sacred to every Jew. Today, Uman, like all of Ukraine, is under attacks from Russian military aggression, which we resolutely condemn, and we pray for the Ukrainian people. In this difficult time for all of us, we also have to fend off attacks from ill-wishers inside Ukraine, which is courageously fighting the enemy on the war fronts. We ask the US government to help us prevent the destruction of the historical memorial complex in the city of Uman with the grave of the great Rabbi Nachman," notes Avi Greenstein, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Council of Boro Park, New York, in his letter. "The pilgrimage to Uman of the world Jewish community should become an exemplary model of spiritual unity between Ukrainians and Jews. But for this, respect for the norms of current legislation is needed. It is necessary to stop construction work on the territory of the Ancient Jewish Cemetery, located within the boundaries of the Historical and Cultural Center of the City of Uman, in the protected zone of the cultural monument of local significance, which is the grave of Tzaddik Nachman. We believe in the victory of light and goodness."