UMAN, Ukraine - Thousands of Jewish pilgrims gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman on Friday to mark the Rosh Hashanah religious festival, despite warnings not to travel due to Russia’s invasion.

Security was tightened ahead of this year’s gathering, as Ukrainian officials urged pilgrims to follow warnings.

“At present, about 32,000 pilgrims have already arrived in Uman,” said Iryna Rybnytska from the Historical Cultural Centre of Uman, which looks after Jewish monuments and cemeteries in the city.

Uman has been a site of pilgrimage for over 200 years, as Jews from Israel and across the world celebrate the life of Hasidic leader Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who was buried in the city.

“There are certain restrictions that pilgrims have to accept if they want to come to Ukraine,” said Ms Rybnytska.

“These restrictions are the same as for citizens of Ukraine. They have to comply with the curfew, have to have a passport, and have to comply with air raid warnings and go to a shelter,” she said.

In April, a Russian missile strike hit an apartment block in the city, killing more than 20 people.

The US has urged its citizens not to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah – which marks the Jewish New Year – as has Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned the city lacked shelters and protection.

“Israeli citizens who are travelling to Ukraine need to act responsibly regarding their trips at this time,” he said on Sunday.

“The Holy One has not always protected us, both on Ukrainian and other European soil,” he said.

Mr Joseph Libermensch, a 53-year-old businessman from Jerusalem who made the pilgrimage, said he travelled via Poland and had to take a 10-hour car journey from the border.

“For us, not to come to Rabbi Nachman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, is more dangerous than missiles, than war, than everything else,” he told AFP.

“Our family comes to Uman for more than a hundred years, and no war can stop us,” he said. AFP