Ongoing discussions with Ukraine to allow thousands of Breslover chassidim waiting by the Belarus-Ukraine border to enter the country ended in failure on Tuesday and efforts are now being made to assist those stuck at the border or in no man’s land between Belarus and Ukraine. A Kan News report on Tuesday afternoon said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has issued instructions to assist those at the border.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who has been involved in trying to assist the chassidim made a last-ditch effort, and sent a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, requesting that he allow the chassidim, who have been waiting at the border for two weeks in difficult conditions, into Ukraine for humanitarian reasons.
About 2,500 Breslover chassidim have been waiting at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border near the city of Gomel, with about 1,000 stuck in no-man’s land between the border of Belarus and Ukraine after they received a mistaken message that Ukraine had given permission for them to enter. They left Belarus and attempted to cross the border into Ukraine but were refused entry and were then refused entry back into Belarus.
There are reportedly also chassidim waiting by the border in Brest, Pinsk and Radin, and some in Minsk.
The scene is one of total chaos with thousands of chassidim, including many young children stuck outdoors without even the most basic amenities, with little or no food supplies or even drinks. Videos and pictures of the scene show small children and adults sleeping on the hard street. Some of them gathered branches and lit fires prior to going to sleep.
A special flight of 150 representatives of Breslov shuls in Israel which was apparently already given initial permission to enter Ukraine was also refused permission on Tuesday to enter Ukraine.
Most arrived at the border on Monday morning and passed the day with singing and dancing – as border police prevented the group from crossing into Ukraine. As the day passed most ran out of food, and the crisis grew.
There are many children in the group – some as young as 4 years old – all without food and sleeping on the ground, shivering in the cold.
The Red Cross arrived at the border late Monday night and brought the group food, hot drinks and blankets.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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51 Responses
I have no rachmonis for these idiots and they should be left to freeze in the mud. They have deliberately created risks for themselves, promoted anti-semitism against yidden living in Ukraine and more geopolitical difficulties for EY. However, to deliberately put their young children at risk of illness or c’v worse, is child abuse of the worse kind. If they were to put their children out in the streets in the cold and rain in EY, the child welfare authorities should remove these kids from their parents and bring legal charges against the parents. That is what should happen here when these idiots are returned to EY.
What the heck is wrong with these people? They were told not to come during a global pandemic. They went anyway, and on top of that brought kids. No sense. If they had the money to travel there, why can’t they travel back? Why are they acting homeless and accepting handouts from the Red Cross?
Let them sleep on the ground in the cold. Keep the Askanim and Red Cross away.
A few nights out in the cold without food will send them scrambling back to wherever they came from. Which is where they belonged in the first place.
There’s a worldwide pandemic. It’s widely publicized that they weren’t welcome in Uman for that reason.
If they’re not smart enough to comprehend that, and comply, hopefully they’ll be smart enough to realize if they’re cold and hungry they should go back to wherever they came from (where they weren’t cold and hungry).
What a chillul H’
It’s really hard to watch these clips, to see such young and innocent children having to endure such suffering. With all due respect to these young kid’s fathers…. they know very well the situation in Uman and that getting into Uman is a long shot, why would they take that risk with such young children??? Or better still why are they even schlepping their young children to Uman regardless of the lockdown. I don’t get it! The men are going without their wives so who’s going to watch these little ones over yom tov during the hours and hours that the fathers are out davening. I really don’t get it… For what purpose are they schlepping their little four year olds to Uman??
It’s child abuse. Where are the mothers, allowing their husbands to do this to their children? Even if they are happy to see their husbands leave, why do children have to suffer like this? For what, exactly?
They need to come back to Israel on an emergency plane & go into quarantine. At least they will have beds and food. As for their insane fathers… let them stay there.
What is wrong with these people?!
I think it is incredible that these Yidden have so much Emunah in their Rebbe! For anyone else who plans on posting terrible derisive comments about Breslovers, keep in mind that it is not them but YOU are preventing Moshiach from coming by taking precious minutes from your day to spout rechilus and lashan hara about your fellow Jews who have more emunah in their right pinky than you have in your whole body. May Hashem grant these people entrance into Uman!
Yasher koach for proving that Uman has become an avoda zara cult.
Parents should be arrested and charged with felony child endangerment, and serve a long prison term in eastern Europe.
They knew in advance that they are not welcome. Instead they still went. Taking their young children as well.
We should divert all askanim to help the mexicans and other south americans who try to enter a foreign country and are put in cages for that. They are trying to escape a horrible life while these Jews somehow have the money to travel despite corona and being asked not to come. They should of stayed home.
Crazy people do crazy things, but to put young children in danger, without proper food, blankets and sanitary facilities, is just insane. Breslovers, true Breslovers, a Chasidus of many Talmidai Chochimim, DO SOMETHING before your Chasidus becomes …. well, look what it is becoming
Rebbe Nachman is so proud of you guys!
ביטול תורה
kenst doh zayn vos meint shtark meshugah
Major problems from receiving from the red cross,
Blankets- shatnez?
Food- hasgach and bishul akum
What would the dead rabbi say?
Why can’t they just go back home?!
The real crisis are the parents who shlepped kids out there and put them in a matziv of sakana, and why they are allowed to retain custody of their offspring.
Running to a closed border willingly and camping out there is NOT a humanitarian crisis. We call that a stupidiy crisis. They are not fleeing a war or a dictatorship. I do not believe R’ Nachman z”l would of agreed to this
I hope the Israeli equivalent of CPS takee action.
They should have stayed home with their wives for this year. As for there being young children among the group: It was terribly irresponsible of those parents to bring them along knowing that there was a possibility that they would not be allowed through. Why couldn’t the young children stay home?
there is a story of the chofetz chaim , that in his advanced age he ” akshened” that his gabbai take him to the icy mikva despite the gabbais protest that it was dangerous to his health… when the chofetz chaim got there he tapped the slushy waters with his cane … and said ribono shel olam ” ich hob gegangen in mikva – ober toivelin ken ich nisht. and returned home
the people in these pictures are not crazy … their life circumstances or choices have them living on the edge , always just making it or missing it by a hair…
my own mixed feelings when seeing this situation is how does someone know when difficulties are meant to overcome and continue and when is it a siman from hashem ” that not this year… and i hear your tefilos wherever you are
Everyone must watch this. This is by far one of the worst displays of Judaism ever. And the fact thdt this lunacy is not condemned by Breslev organization or their rabbis is unexplainable. To take young children as young as 4 years old and bring them into what is essentially a war zone and use them as pawn is vile and criminal child abuse. I think the Israeli govt should place these children with suitable families and let the adults rot in Gomel.
Help us! Please!
Chilul Hashem and Avodeh Zara all mixed into one bag, i’m sure this is what Reb Nachmen wanted
Another Breslover חילול השם.
People have indulged these guys for too long, they thought they were cute.
A monster was created.
Idiots!
If only they’d apply this misused mesiras nefesh in other aspects of yiddishkite.
Hello! “Wake up and dmell the coffee”.
It’s time to reassess the going to Uman.
Wow everyone should be a little bit nicer
It’s anti sametic because there letting in non Jews that don’t even live there
Look at the guy that dressed up as a goy huhhhhhh
Now what do u say
“after they received a mistaken message that Ukraine had given permission for them to enter.”
Stupidity is like a bottomless pit. Once they are in it, they can never get out.
They may be doing something that you think is wrong . But at least they aren’t speaking venomous Loshon Hora about Jews that they don’t know 4 days before Rosh Hashana! Think about why you all feel the “need” to comment. Who do you think you are? The need to comment and judge other Jews is at the root of Pirud and the essence of the Yetzer Hora.. if they are doing something which you think is wrong, daven for them , don’t judge them and bring more kitrugim on Klal Yisroel, be part of the solution! 4 days to Rosh Hashana!
I am speechless.
Thanks to the President of Belarus. No one ever said it’s easy to be with Rabbeinu on Rosh Hashana.
Most of the above posts are unnecessary at best but really as disturbing and disgraceful as the first. To throw a קללה out! How could you? Obviously they are mistaken and/or delusional and and the rest but how can you say such things! I’m shocked.
Congrats YWN for again finding and posting very important קלונם של ישראל story just to engender the nasty comments!
Meshugoim. This is Yiddishkeit !?!? Leaving Eretz Yisrael to go to Uman !!! This reeks like a cult. If this behavior defined Yiddiskeit well… it would be Avoda Zarah.
Thank God i am not a breslover!!!
Meir G
The answer to that is obvious.
You ask daas Torah
I have no idea what the top breslovar rabbanim are saying about this years pilgrimage. I would welcome someone with insider knowledge.
But if the poskim said stay home and they went anyway, then yes , all the negativity is warranted despite the nice post from “emunah”
What is wrong with you crazy people commenting?!
We’re in Elul!
How many times the litvisher Rosh hayeshivos thunder out “ELUL”????
You don’t like Jews who are different than you, we get it… but these comments are heartbreaking that someone should spend time and write it down (even more so, a yid may G-D protect us)!!!!
New minhag. RH at the Belarus/ Ukraine border.
So interesting to see how some commentators are bothered with Loshon Horah now, but all year round no one gives 2 hoots
crazy for going? sure.
were told not to go? sure.
acting wrongfully by taking babies? sure.
are in a hard situation now? sure.
should we try to help them out? sure.
should we refrain from cursing them? sure.
should we refrain from cursing those who curse them? sure.
can we understand where they come from? sure.
does understanding an abuser still mean they are abusing? sure.
can we all take a deep breath at least twice a day? sure.
Why do you knock the Breslev chassidim. Why is your chassidus better. You can go through every major chassidus and find fault.
Thank you YWN for reporting on this important matter. 200 years ago, the Gedolim of Ukraine warned us about them, and made it forbidden for Yidden to have anything to do with them. We now see why.
As for their leaders, they encouraged this. Arush said in a video recently that if you go this year “you will receive gifts from Rabbenu more than any other year.” How hard is it to recognize that his statements, besides being reckless and causing child endangerment, are also and pure Kafira!
The power of marketing has made this group normal. Misphacha magazine had this group on the front cover recently as if they are normal Yidden just wondering how they were going to do their Avodah this year. Dancing around in the street is cute but Kafira is not cute. Child endangerment is not cute. It was the right thing to expose Lev Tohar and it is the right thing to expose this group as well. The ban on this group was never lifted. Our silence was not tolerance, it was negligence.
meir G – This is the difference between Chafetz Chaim actions and these people actions. Chafetz Chaim was responsible for his own life. These people jeopardize their children / their family lives. What kind of father will shlep his young child to the country where every day over 2,000 new corona cases? What will be, if child got corona? What will be with child if his father got corona, who will take care of this child in the foreign country? What king of mother allowed to put the child in such a not safe situation?
You cannot continue to act in a mindless way, put others at risk, subject klal yisroel in general to increased anti-semitism etc. and then call these people, “misunderstood” or simply acting in blind obedience to a non-existent obligation. Yes, the words above are strong but its not “lashon horah” to call for an end to this madness.
A Kiddush Hashem how they’re moser nefesh to do a mitzva.
There are definitely serious problems with this, such things can happen when people don’t have an appropriate living Rebbe.
But keep in mind the small silver lining in the big dark cloud.
Unlike some others, they are not carrying on that their late Rebbe is moshiach.
Bottom line –
This is all a the fault of proffesoor gmazu who has more than expressed his true feelings about judaism,
כי ערוך מאתמול תפתה, גם הוא למלך הוכן
and BTW,
These breslovers wre ensured that for $1500 one can be smuggled through in a truck
It’s only due to Prof. gamzu that the ukranians started checking the trucks.
So whose the Rosho?
Where was the latest music star? Could have had a concert out there
Loshon hora, now that’s a chilul Hashem.
I am not a Breslover, and I don’t claim to understand what means to want to be Uman. But I wish I could have the same mesiras nefesh for something I believe in.
ווי לאנג זיי זענון ידין, דארפען מיר אינץ זיי העלפען מיט וואס אינז קענען נאר
אין אויב איינער וויל זיי משפט’ן בפרהסיה, זאלסט וויסן אז אינזער ג-ט משפט מדה כנגד מדה
3 days to Rosh Hashanah.
The commentator called The truth states that Breslov was put into cherem. What about all the other chassidim put into cherem by the Vilna gaon. So don’t talk against Breslev. Many years ago I was in uman three times going back about 20 years ago. I found the best and Highest yidden there. I even saw miracles that saved my life. I believe Breslev is the closest in teachings to the Baal Shem Tov. No question. They are the real deal. All other Chassidis today are more of a kehilla but don’t really practice the ways of the Baal Shem Tov. I think they need to contact the White House. One call from our great President Trump and Ukraine will let everyone in.
The Cherem against Chassidim was batel by the mid-1800’s. Chassidim and non-Chassidim leaders sat together at the first meeting of the Agudah in 1912. The ban on Breslov was made by all of the leaders of Ukraine and never went away. When the Baal Shem Tov died, the Maggid of Mezritzch was appointed the leader and so on.There was never a thought that Chassidus or Klal Yisrael can exist without living leader. The idea of “being” with your Rebbe even though he is dead is plain Kefirah.
There is no prohibition at all about speaking about the Chillul Hashem these people making. It is a Mitzvah to divide ourselves from evil. Taking young children through anti-Semitic countries when asked not to, during a global pandemic and creating a humanitarian crisis is pure evil.