Euroasian Jewish News

Alexander Mashkevich prays at Rabbi Nachman's grave

EAJC President Visits Grave of Rabbi Nachman in Uman.

On the 16th of September, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) delegation, headed by EAJC President Alexander Mashkevich visited the city of Uman (Cherkasskaya Oblast, Ukraine), where the great Hasid tsaddik, founder of Bratslav Hasidism, rabbi Nachman from Bratslav is buried.

Every year before Rosh-ha-Shana (the Jewish religious New Year), thousands of pilgrims arreive in Uman, who revere rabbi Nachman and give a special meaning to his burial place. According to the data presented by the regional authorities, 26 thousand pilgrims from 16 countries visited the Ukrainian city this year.

In 2008, the EAJC and Congress President Alexander Mashkevich actively aided in solving the conflict which began in 2002 between the World Center of Bratslav Hasidim (Israel) and the company “Chance” (Ukraine). As a result of this conflict, which endured for almost six years, the property of the World Center in the city of Uman (Ukraine) was sequestrated, including the Bratslav Hasidim pilgrimage site — the grave of the tsaddik Rabbi Nachman, and the future largest synagogue in Europe, the building of which is still under construction. Interference from the EAJC and the financial aid organized by Alexander Mashkevich and his partner of Jewish-Georgian heritage David Jacobashvili led to a peaceful resolution between the conflicting sides at the end of August 2008. The sequestration began to be removed at the threshold of last year's pilgrimages, and on the 20 th of October of the previous year, a decision of the Cherkasy Oblast economic court confirmed the peace traty, and the sequestration was removed from the Bratslav Hasid property.

Pilgrims from around the world met Alexander Mashkevich and David Jacobashvili with glee, as thanks to these people they have free access to the grave of the holy tsaddik Rabbi Nachman. The EAJC President read a prayer over the grave of the founder of Bratslav Hasidism, and afterwards went to the synagogue, where he spoke with the leaders of the World Center of Bratslav Hasidim and common pilgrims alike. Alexander Mashkevich expressed a certainty in the fact that soon Uman' will be able to host not 20, but 200 thousand pilgrims, and promised to do everything within his power to develop the city as one of the most important holy places for Judaism.

On that same day, the leadership of the city in conjunction with Alexander Mashkevich and EAJC General Council Preisden Joseph Zisels took part in the conference “Problems and Perspectives of Places of Pilgrimage,” where various aspects of legal regulation of the organization of the pilgrimage of believers to the grave of Rabbi Nachman in Uman'. In his response to journalists' questions, the President of the EAJC presented the idea of creating a single coordinating center, which would, working with both the city government on one side, and the World Center of Bratslav Hasidim and the International Charity Fund named after Rabbi Nachman. This center would take up all matters concerning the organization of the pilgirms' arrival and cater to all their everyday needs in Uman'. Besides that, Alexander Mashkevich spoke in favor of the Ukrainian government adopting a separate law to regulate the arrival of pilgirms, as in other countries which accept large groups of pilgrims, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Conference: "Problems and Perspectives of Places of Pilgrimage." 

Left to right: Joseph Zisels, Alexander Mashkevich, David Jacobashvili.