The U.S. Department of State recommends that U.S. citizens do not travel to Ukraine. This recommendation applies to U.S. citizens considering travel to Uman during Rosh Hoshanah for the pilgrimage to the grave of Rebbe Nachman.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, all parts of the country have experienced Russian airstrikes hitting civilian buildings and critical infrastructure, including houses of worship, often with little or no warning. Uman has been the site of multiple Russian missile attacks as recent as June. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv continues to operate with reduced staffing and has limited capacity to assist U.S. citizens in Ukraine.
The State Department’s Current Travel Advisory for Ukraine Is Level 4: Do Not Travel
The Department of State continues to advise that U.S. citizens not to travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict. Those U.S citizens in Ukraine should depart if it is safe to do so using commercial or other privately available ground transportation options.
All U.S. citizens should carefully monitor U.S. government notices and local and international media outlets for information about changing security conditions and alerts to shelter in place. Those remaining in Ukraine should exercise caution due to the potential for military attacks, crime, and civil unrest.
The security situation throughout Ukraine is highly volatile. U.S. citizens should remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. Know the location of your closest shelter or protected space. In the event of mortar or rocket fire, follow the instructions from local authorities and seek shelter immediately. If you feel your current location is no longer safe, you should carefully assess the potential risks involved in moving to a different location.
There are continued reports of Russian forces and their proxies singling out U.S. citizens in Ukraine for detention, interrogation, or harassment because of their nationality. U.S. citizens have also been singled out when evacuating by land through Russia-occupied territory or to Russia or Belarus.
On February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian government declared a state of emergency. Each province (oblast) will decide on the measures to be implemented according to local conditions. Measures could include curfews, restrictions on the freedom of movement, ID verification, and increased security inspections, among other measures. Follow any state of emergency measures imposed in your oblast.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits U.S. civil aviation from flying in Ukrainian airspace. For more information, U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation Administration’s Prohibitions, Restrictions and Notices. Additionally, since February 24, when Russia’s forces began attacking major Ukrainian cities, the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and the Federal Aviation Administration have prohibited flights into, out of, and over Ukraine due to ongoing military actions.
Travel to High-Risk Areas
If you choose to disregard the travel advisory not to enter Ukraine, you should consider taking the following steps prior to travel:
- Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
- Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.
- Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return as planned to the United States.
- Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.
- Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organization or consider consulting with a professional security organization.
- Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization so that they can monitor your safety and location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify who you would contact first, and how they should share the information.
- Enroll your trip in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
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16 Responses
All sensible Breslever chasidim should just stay home. It is arguable what Reb Nachman meant by ‘come to me for Rosh Hashanah’ etc (likely only when be was alive) but he definitely did not intend for people to risk their lives.
I’m not going to let the notoriously Antisemitic State Dept. ruin my one chance a year to get away from my nagging wife & bratty kids.
What will it take to keep these idiots from traveling to a war zone and risk returning in a body bag? Such travel not only risks the individual traveler but also imposes burdens on U.S. Consular officials in Ukraine who already have an incredibly challenging task. The governments of the U.S., EY and Ukraine are saying DO NOT COME
Don’t forget to write that will if you are going.
This is the exact same document that was in effect last year, and we saw how nothing happened and those who stayed away out of fear missed out. Also remember that the State Department has a similar warning against visiting any destination in Yehuda, Binyamin, or Shomron.
I admire and am inspired by Breslev.
To those that howl against going to kivrei tzaddikim in general and in particular, use excuses of danger and fear to try to discourage others from going and to be inspired, this possuk applies to you:
האיש הירא ורך הלבב ילך וישב לביתו ולא ימס את לבב אחיו כלבבו
People who travel to Ukraine in spite of this deserve no sympathy and if God forbid tragedy occurs it should be assur to donate to causes related to such tragedies. They make all Jews look bad!
Milhouse is wrong. The Do Not Travel advisory is about Gaza, not the places he mentions. There is a Do Not Travel advisory for all of Ukraine not just Uman.
Milhouse, do I need to remind you how many of our bretherin were killed this year in Yehudah and Shomron – more than I can count on my hands H’yd
But then who will pull them out of gehinom?
Rebbitzen: The original and legitimate intent among hard-core Breslov of davening by the kever of R’ Nachman has been hijacked by a much larger group of “new age” zealots whose participation is more of a trendy annual Woodstock event with a higher risk factor and more excitement. The Breslov have been told by the relevant governments to stay home. There are other ways to gain “inspiration” w/o enriching anti-semites and contributing to an already inflammatory situation in a war zone. You don’t get “bonus points” on the yamim noraim for taking unnecessary risks
To Milhouse:
I have only one question for you:
A number of times I saw on the Yeshiva world that they were collecting money for families that a member got hurt or even killed and the murder took place in Yehuda, Binyamin, Shomron and also in Ukraine not far from Uman they were collecting for a person that got hurt from a russian missile.
DID YOU GIVE ANY MONEY TO THOSE CAUSES????????
OR YOU ARE JUST SENDING PEOPLE TO THOSE PLACES AND IF THEY GET MURDERED-TOUGH LUCK-DO NOT COME TO ME FOR MONEY.
By the way, I personally donated to many of these causes.
On April 28 of this year, a russian missile hit Uman and 6 people were killed.
Please google it for yourself and you will see that I am saying the truth.
thank you for protecting klal yisroel simply said thick heads and lost people don’t listen or no how to read we need to daven for them
Unfair. Did they issue travel warnings about visiting Europe and the Pacific during the early 1940s (heck, the governmenty even arranged for tour groups to storm beaches, tour western Europe and Pacific islands and do flyovers over German and Japanese cities)?
In the US, at the Battle of Bull Run, there were tourists who came to picnic while watching the battle (okay, they got in the way of the armies, and it does seem that ended the battlefield tourism business).
Seriously, governments should ban fools who want to go to visit war zones. War and tourism don’t mix.
If you go to Uman and are held for ransom, I for one will not donate a dime to Pidyon Shevuyim. People who knowingly put themselves in danger don’t deserve to be rescued. Since when is going to Uman a d’oraysa??
People are too slow to understand the news behind the news and act as children in accepting everything at face value. They want to punish the Jewish People and especially Israel because many Ukrainian tourists are rejected. The reason is because they aren’t tourists and they stay in Israel without leaving endangering the spiritual state of Israel. They are not pro-Jewish. Notice how there are zero problems if anybody leaves the US to join the Ukrainian Army. Isn’t it ironic…don’t ya think?