Jerusalem – Israel has been making covert efforts to bring the remains of the venerated late Rabbi Nachman from Uman, Ukraine, to Israel, the country’s Army Radio reported Monday.
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Ukraine has declined the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s request, according to the report, which said that diplomats had made an official request to the Ukranian government on the instructions of Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely.
Rebbe Nachman, spiritual leader of the Breslov Hasidim, was born in the city of Medzhybizh in 1772 and died in Uman in 1810. Since then, Uman has become a mecca for Bratslavers, the name by which his followers are known. About 150,000 people visit Rabbi Nachman’s grave every year, making it an important site of tourism for Ukraine.
Rabbi Aryeh Lippo, a member of the Breslov movement involved in the efforts told Army Radio that “it’s illogical that half of Israel leaves the country every Rosh Hashana,” in reference to the thousands of Israelis who annually visit the rabbi’s grave on the Jewish New Year.
Eduard Dolinsky, Director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, told The Jerusalem Post that he doubted Kiev would agree to relocate the grave.
“It’s a kind of national treasure bringing millions of dollars every year to the state and city budgets as well as to Uman inhabitants,” he said. He noted, however, that some nationalistic groups such as the Freedom Party do support the move “because of chaos caused by the pilgrimage and general antisemitic views.”
Around the time of the annual pilgrimage there are often cases of antisemitism in Uman. Last year, Rabbi Nachman’s grave was desecrated with a pig’s head and splatters of red paint.
I have to laugh–does he really think that the Ukraine will allow that? The people there make enough money for Yomim Noraim to last them a whole year!!!
As much as the Ukrainians hate the Jews, they LOVE our money! The Ukrainians would never let RebbiNachman go, they live off our money.
What should be done, is a protocol NOT to fly their airlines, nor buy anything in the Ukraine, then the Ukrainians will depot Rebbe Nachman to Israel since they don’t gain anything from having so many Jews coming.
If they can’t have the JEWS MONEY, THEN THEY DON’T WANT A DEAD JEWS BODY BY THEM THAT ONLY CAUSES THEM HAVOC!!!!
Hashem! To bring Reb Nachman into the treifana medina? What a bezoyan anyway
G D forbid! At least theres somewhere we can still visit and not go to Israel.
The holy rebbe wanted specifically to be buried between the two mass graves of the martyrs slain in kiddush hashem in the 1760s.He said his mission was to help rectify their souls .If it will be possible to move his remains ,the remains of those, and the rest who are buried there, should also be transferred to the holy land near the place where his daughter is resting.
It is impossible to bring Reb Nachman’s remains to Israel even if the gov’t would allow it – because he is NOT laying under the stone in Uman !
When Yechiel Michel Dorfman the famous Breslover Chassid who lived in Moscow was finally able, for the first time after the war to get to Uman, his heart fell when he saw the place where Reb Nachman was buried a house was built. What is wrong with that? nothing, except for the fact the home has a full size basement in it. The earth and all the Jewish bones were used for “earth fill” under some new road that was built in Uman.
Reb Dorfman told the other chassidim that when you go to Uman look at the second or third window of the house and daven there. (as that was the closes spot). The others assumed (or were explicitly told) that the grave is under the window and started the whole Kever business. There are aerial photos to prove it, and one day I plan to write about it.
The irony of the whole thing is – the 25,000 people who go there and the millions of dollars spent, are going to an empty stone.
Please explain: is charedi Judaism a form of pagan ancestor worship? Chinese Confucianism and Indian Hindus worship their deceased ancestors and sages. My understanding was that this is a traif practice for Yidden. Nu?