United Hatzalah volunteers have been increasing activity in Uman ahead of the Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year's) holiday. The town is a popular pilgrimage site during the holiday as many people go to visit the gravesite of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
As many followers of the Rabbi from Breslov communities all over the world congregate in the town to fulfill Rabbi Nahman’s request to come to him during Rosh Hashana. In addition, with the ongoing conflict in the country, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of requests for emergency assistance received by the Ukrainian United Hatzalah medical hotline.
Head of the United Hatzalah chapter in Uman, Matityahu Shapira stated: “Our volunteers in and around the town of Uman are collaborating with EMTs and paramedics that will be arriving from Israel and the U.S. and will operate in shifts around the clock in order to provide an immediate medical response to anyone in need of assistance. As a part of improving the medical security operation this year, United Hatzalah hung dozens of signs near Rabbi Nahman’s grave so that people could identify exactly where they are located based on the closest sign that they see. This helps our teams provide respond quicker to the emergency as it provides them with an exact location, especially for tourists who may not be able to identify where they are based on street names or local landmarks. Our local hotline number in Uman is 063-800-1221.”
The Deputy Head of the Uman Chapter for United Hatzalah, Aharon Ben Harush added: “We equipped all of United Hatzalah’s ambulances in Uman with an abundance of medical equipment in order to provide quick response to medical emergencies in and around the city. We have outfitted additional ambulances in Uman and other parts of Ukraine that will continue to provide medical assistance to those in need in different communities as well. Our teams will operate around the clock and all cases that require evacuation will be taken to a medical clinic for triage before being transported to a hospital or back to Israel as the case demands."
The US and Israeli governments have issued travel advisories calling on Jewish citizens not to go to Uman for Rosh Hashannah this year due to the war.
The US State Department stated that it "continues to advise that U.S. citizens not travel to Ukraine due to 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."
Israel's Foreign Ministry released a statement after missiles were fired toward the Uman area last month, killing on person: "The volatile security situation, including the danger of air strikes or rocket fire - including on towns and civilian areas, including in the center and west of the country - are a real and immediate danger to life."
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry also published a notice, asking that foreigners not visit Uman this year, due to the ongoing war and the difficulty in providing security and safety for the visitors.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry emphasized, "The Israeli Embassy in Kyiv does not have a constant presence in Ukrainian territory during these times, and therefore we will not be able to provide full consular services and there will be great difficulty in providing help in case of an emergency."