Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu begging him to find a way to allow the mass prayers in Uman this year.
Porush repeated his previous offer to go to Uman himself and oversee the preparations and maintain the guidelines set forth by the Health Ministry regarding safety during prayers.
Porush wrote: “Following the debate that was recently brought forth regarding the travel of thousands of Breslov Chassidim to Uman for Rosh Hashanah this year, I write to you and plead that you regard the following proposal.
I have never been to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, but as I understand that hundreds of Chassidim are already there, and thousands more wish to join them and will attempt to do so in any way possible, I decided to offer myself and take responsibility for all of the travelers opposite and deal with the necessary officials in the Ukrainian government.”
“I met with the head of the Uman task force Minister Ze’ev Elkin yesterday, and we discussed the possibility of creating a guideline that would lay out the optimal solution that would ensure safe travel for the Breslov Chassidim who devotedly fly every year to pray at the graveside.”
“I made it clear to Minister Elkin that I myself am willing to fly to Uman in the next few days, and stay there, in order to stand together with the heads of the Chassidim opposite the local and national government in order to make the proper arrangements and ensure that the proper safety precautions are taken.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
The Ukrainian Government has closed its doors to all foreigners, just like Israel has also sadly closed its doors to all foreigners, so there is nothing that Netanyahu can do about this, and Porush should just let go about this issue.
Why does MK Porush think this is an issue for PM Netanyahu to resolve? Both Israel and Ukraine have closed their borders to foreigners because of COVID-19. Why should Netanyahu get involved in the internal affairs of Ukraine? Would Porush want the Ukrainian Prime Minister to start telling Netanyahu how to run the affairs of Israel?
Just a further thought: Israeli Members of Parliament seeking to meddle in the affairs of foreign nations simply gives further impetus to the anti-Semitic idea that the Jews think they own/run the world. Israel has a legitimate interest to safeguard Jewish communities around the world but it has no legitimate interest to bully others for political reasons. Which Gedolei Hador have endorsed Porush’s involvement in this way?