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Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the
Umanka River The Umanka (Ukrainian: Уманка) is a river in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine. It is a tributary of the Yatran River, which it enters southeast of Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy ...
at around . Uman serves as the administrative center of
Uman Raion Uman Raion ( uk, Уманський район, translit.: ''Umans'kyi raion'') is a raion (district) in the west of Cherkasy Oblast (province) of central Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Uman. Population: On 18 July 2020, as p ...
( district). It hosts the administration of
Uman urban hromada Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...
, one of the
hromada A hromada ( uk, територіальна громада, lit=territorial community, translit=terytorialna hromada) is a basic unit of administrative division in Ukraine, similar to a municipality. It was established by the Government of Ukra ...
s of Ukraine. Population: Among Ukrainians, Uman is known for its depiction of the
Haidamak The haidamakas, also haidamaky or haidamaks (singular ''haidamaka'', ua, Гайдамаки, ''Haidamaky'') were Ukrainian paramilitary outfits composed of commoners (peasants, craftsmen), and impoverished noblemen in the eastern part of the ...
rebellions in Taras Shevchenko's longest of poems, ''Haidamaky'' ("The Haidamaks", 1843). The city is also a pilgrimage site for Breslov Hasidic Jews and a major center of gardening research containing the dendrological park Sofiyivka and the University of Gardening. Uman (Humań) was a privately owned city of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.


History

Uman was first mentioned in historical documents in 1616, when it was under Polish rule. It was part of the Bracław Voivodeship of the Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown. Its role at this time was as a defensive fort to withstand Tatar raids, containing a prominent
Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
regiment that was stationed within the town. In 1648 it was taken from the Poles by Ivan Hanzha, colonel to Cossack leader
Bohdan Khmelnytsky Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmelnytskyi ( Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern ua, Богдан Зиновій Михайлович Хмельницький; 6 August 1657) was a Ukrainian military commander and ...
, and Uman was converted to the administrative center of cossack regiment for the region. Poland retook Uman in 1667, after which the town was deserted by many of its residents who fled eastward to Left-bank Ukraine. From 1670–1674, Uman was a residence to the Hetman of right-bank Ukraine.. It was part of Ottoman Empire between 1672 and 1699. Under the ownership of the Potocki family of Polish nobles (1726–1832) Uman grew in economic and cultural importance. A Basilian monastery and school were established in this time. The Uman region was site of
haidamaky The haidamakas, also haidamaky or haidamaks (singular ''haidamaka'', ua, Гайдамаки, ''Haidamaky'') were Ukrainian paramilitary outfits composed of commoners (peasants, craftsmen), and impoverished noblemen in the eastern part of the ...
uprisings in 1734, 1750, and 1768. Notably during the latter, Cossack rebels Maksym Zalizniak and Ivan Gonta captured Uman during the Koliyivshchyna uprising against Polish rule. During this revolt, a massacre took place against Jews,
Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
and
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
Uniates. On the very first day large numbers of Ukrainians deserted the ranks of Polish forces and joined the rebels when the city was surrounded. Thousands from the surrounding areas fled to the Cossack garrison in Uman for protection. The military commander of Uman, Mladanovich, betrayed the city's Jews and allowed the pursuing Cossacks in, in exchange for clemency towards the Polish population. In the span of three days an estimated 20,000 Poles and Jews were slain with extreme cruelty, according to numerous Polish sources, with one source giving an estimate of 2,000 casualties. With the 1793 Second Partition of Poland, Uman became part of the Russian Empire and a number of aristocratic residences were built there. In 1795 Uman became a povit/ uezd center in Voznesensk Governorate, and in 1797, in Kyiv Governorate. Into the 20th century, Uman was linked by rail to Kyiv and
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
, leading to rapid development of its industrial sector. Its population grew from 10,100 in 1860 to 29,900 in 1900 and over 50,000 in 1914. According to the
Russian census of 1897 The first general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897 (Russian alphabet#Letters eliminated in 1917–18, pre-reform Russian: ) was the first and only nation-wide census performed in the Russian Empire (the Grand Duchy of Fi ...
, Uman with a population of 31,016 was the second largest city of Podolia after Kamianets-Podilskyi. In 1941, the Battle of Uman took place in the vicinity of the town, where the
German army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
encircled Soviet positions. Adolf Hitler and
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
visited Uman in 1941. Uman was occupied by German forces from August 1, 1941, to March 10, 1944. In January 1989 the population was 90,596 people. Today the city has optical and farm-machinery plants, a cannery, a brewery, a vitamin factory, a sewing factory, a footwear factory, and other industrial enterprises. Its highest educational institutions are the Uman National University of Horticulture and the Uman State Pedagogical University. The main architectural monuments are the catacombs of the old fortress, the Basilian monastery (1764), the city hall (1780–2), the Dormition Roman Catholic church in the Classicist style (1826), and 19th-century trading stalls. Uman's landmark is a famous park complex, Sofiyivka (Софiївка;
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
: Zofiówka), founded in 1796 by Count Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki, a
Polish noble The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...
, who named it for his wife Sofia. The park features a number of waterfalls and narrow, arching stone bridges crossing the streams and scenic ravines. Until 18 July 2020, Uman was designated as a city of oblast significance and did not belong to Uman Raion even though it was the center of the raion. As part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Cherkasy Oblast to four, the city was merged into Uman Raion. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Uman was hit by Russian artillery on February 24, 2022 which led to the death of a cyclist. The incident was caught on camera.


Jewish community

A large Jewish community lived in Uman in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the Second World War, in 1941, the Battle of Uman took place in the vicinity of the town, where the
German army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
encircled Soviet positions. The Germans deported the entire Jewish community, murdering some 17,000 Jews,"Uman! Uman! Rosh HaShanah! A guide to Rebbe Nachman's Rosh HaShanah in Uman".
Breslov.
and completely destroyed the Jewish cemetery, burial place of the victims of the 1768 uprising as well as Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. After the war, a Breslov
Hasid Ḥasīd ( he, חסיד, "pious", "saintly", "godly man"; plural "Hasidim") is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmudic and early medieval periods. It denotes a person who is scrupulous in his observ ...
managed to locate the Rebbe's grave and preserved it when the Soviets turned the entire area into a housing project. Since the 1990s there has been a small, but growing, Jewish population in Uman, concentrated around Rebbe Nachman of Breslov tomb on Pushkina street. The local Jews are mostly involved in pilgrimage of Jewish tourists that arrive to the town. In 2018 the community saw large growth with about 10–20 families coming from Israel, accompanied by a small movement of young American couples. Newcomers to the city are concentrating around Skhidna St, with some toward Nova Uman area. In conjunction with this growth in the community, a new school of Yiddish was established.


Pilgrimage to Rebbe Nachman's grave

Every Rosh Hashana, there is a major pilgrimage by tens of thousands of Hasidim and others from around the world to the burial site of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, located on the former site of the Jewish cemetery in a rebuilt
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
. Rebbe Nachman Me'Uman spent the last five months of his life in Uman, and specifically requested to be buried there. As believed by the Breslov Hasidim, before his death he solemnly promised to intercede on behalf of anyone who would come to pray on his grave on Rosh Hashana, "be he the worst of sinners"; thus, a pilgrimage to this grave provides the best chance of getting unscathed through the stern judgement which, according to Jewish faith, Hashem passes on everybody on Yom Kippur. The Rosh Hashana pilgrimage dates back to 1811, when the Rebbe's foremost disciple, Nathan of Breslov, organized the first such pilgrimage on the Rosh Hashana after the Rebbe's death. The annual pilgrimage attracted hundreds of Hasidim from Ukraine, Belarus,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
and Poland throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, until the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 sealed the border between Russia and Poland. A handful of Soviet Hasidim continued to make the pilgrimage clandestinely; some were discovered by the KGB and exiled to Siberia, where they died. The pilgrimage ceased during World War II and resumed on a drastically smaller scale in 1948. From the 1960s until end of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
in 1989, several hundred American and Israeli Hasidim made their way to Uman, both legally and illegally, to pray at the grave of Rebbe Nachman. In 1988, the Soviets allowed 250 men to visit the Rebbe's grave for Rosh Hashana; the following year, over 1,000 Hasidim gathered in Uman for Rosh Hashana 1989. In 1990, 2,000 Hasidim attended. In 2008, attendance reached 25,000 men and boys. In 2018, over 30,000 Jews made the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Uman. In the mid-2010s, Israeli Hasidim from many sectors of Israel's Ultra-Orthodox community, including many
Mizrahi Jewish Mizrahi Jews ( he, יהודי המִזְרָח), also known as ''Mizrahim'' () or ''Mizrachi'' () and alternatively referred to as Oriental Jews or ''Edot HaMizrach'' (, ), are a grouping of Jewish communities comprising those who remained i ...
rabbis, make the pilgrimage. The event brings together a wide variety of Orthodox society, from Yemenite yeshiva students, to former Israeli prison inmates, and American hippies.Rosh Hashana in Uman: A Jewish anarchy
By NATAN ODENHEIMER, 10/02/2016, Jerusalem Post
In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the number of pilgrims coming to Uman for Jewish New Year was approximately 10,000, or about one-third of the number in 2021.This year's Jewish New Year celebrations in Uman were unlike the previous years
Hromadske International, via Twitter. 4 October 2022.


Economy

The annual pilgrimage is regarded as Uman's main economic industry.
''How Do You Say Shofar in Ukrainian? The strange and wonderful Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman, Ukraine.'', By
Menachem Kaiser Menachem Kaiser is a Canadian writer. He received the 2022 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his book ''Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure''. Biography Kaiser grew up in Toronto, Ontario and graduated from Columbia Un ...


Controversy

The pilgrimage has drawn protests from residents due to the large influx of visitors from Israel, and the consequent strain on security and utility. Personnel of
Ben Gurion airport Ben Gurion International Airport, ; ar, مطار بن غوريون الدولي , commonly known by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, it is the ...
, other Israeli tourists and El Al pilots have also complained about Hasidic pilgrims abusing drugs and hard liquor and harassing fellow passengers to Ukraine.Watch: Fighting on Uman-bound flight, shenanigans at Kiev airport
Itay Blumental, Published: 06.10.16, ynetnews
Common complaints from Uman residents relate to the loud noise, singing, rowdiness, widespread drinking, drug use and fighting the pilgrims cause. (Uman) locals have also complained about the cordoning off of neighborhoods by police and the internal trade that has developed among pilgrims.In first, Israel sets up temporary consulate in Uman for Rosh Hashanah
The Times of Israel (29 August 2018)
Heavy alcoholic drinking and cannabis smoking is prevalent amongst the pilgrims, many of them young men, with some describing it as a party event. Hippies have been seen taking LSD on the pilgrimage. Dancing in the streets to trance music is common and the event has been likened to the
Burning Man Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred ...
festival. The pilgrimage has led to several clashes over the years. In September 2010, several cases of violence and riots broke out among Hasidic pilgrims after members of the Evangelical Church arrived from Odesa to preach their faith, leading to 10 Hasidic pilgrims being deported. A few days later ten Hasidic pilgrims were deported back to Israel and banned from Ukraine for five years for disrupting public order and causing bodily harm to citizens. At the end of September 2010 an Israeli Hasid was stabbed and killed in an altercation that broke out following the vandalism of a car owned by Jews. Allegedly his stabbing was a retaliation for the stabbing and wounding of a local (Ukrainian) by an Israeli. In September 2013 three Israeli police officers were deported after getting involved in a bar brawl during the Rosh Hashanah gathering in Uman. In the 2014 pilgrimage, organizers were fined $15,000 by the city of Uman for illegally operating a "tent city" to house 2,500 pilgrims. The controversy is the subject of the 2015 documentary film, ''
The Dybbuk. A Tale of Wandering Souls ''The Dybbuk. A Tale of Wandering Souls'' is a 2015 documentary film by Polish filmmaker and director Krzysztof Kopczyński. The film tells the story of a conflict between Orthodox Jews and Ukrainian far-right activists in Uman, a city in Ukrain ...
''. In 2015 pilgrims staying in a residential tower began tossing rocks and bottles from above onto a car, and when at one point a local policeman's hat was knocked off, police with German Shepherds were called to scatter the crowd. In 2010 an Israeli police officer (sent to monitor security) commented “people get drunk and act crazy in the streets, go out to pubs and hit on women and harass them. They do all types of things that they would never do in Israel, but they come out here and feel like they can do it.”
Anshel Pfeffer Anshel Pfeffer (Hebrew: אנשיל פפר, born 22 June 1973) is a British-born Israeli journalist. He is a senior correspondent and columnist for '' Haaretz'', covering military, Jewish and international affairs, and Israel correspondent for ''Th ...
reported (for ''
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'') in 2018 that an Israeli diplomat told him that "roughly only half of those who come to Uman do so for religious reasons, and the other half are simply the dregs who come to get drunk, take drugs and visit prostitutes," Pfeffer himself did not find any evidence of prostitution in Uman.My Pilgrimage Into the Jewish Future: Partying, Praying, Prostitution and Absolution in Uman
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
(15 September 2018)


Climate


Science and education


Twin towns – sister cities

Uman is twinned with: * Ashkelon, Israel * Davis, California, United States * Gniezno, Poland * Haapsalu, Estonia *
Kórnik Kórnik (german: Kurnik, 1939-45 Burgstadt) is a town with about 7,600 inhabitants (2018), located in western Poland, about south-east of the city of Poznań. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the Wielkopolska region and the Greater ...
, Poland *
Łańcut Łańcut (, approximately "wine-suit"; yi, לאַנצוט, Lantzut; uk, Ла́ньцут, Lánʹtsut; german: Landshut) is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 18,004 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (si ...
, Poland *
Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...
, Wales, United Kingdom * Nof HaGalil, Israel * Radviliškis, Lithuania *
Romilly-sur-Seine Romilly-sur-Seine (, literally ''Romilly on Seine'') is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. Population International relations Romilly-sur-Seine is twinned with: * Milford Haven, United Kingdom * Gotha, Germany * Lüd ...
, France *
Safed Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...
, Israel


Gallery

File:Умань, Церква Св. Миколая (мур.), вулиця Небесної Сотні 39.jpg, Church (19th century) File:Uman-2007-08-12-02.jpg, The Ohel of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov File:Gorky Street, 35a, Uman.jpg, An office building in Uman File:71-108-0021 Uman DSC 2727.jpg, Late 19th century architecture in Uman File:Умань-ДЮСШ.JPG, School building (mid-19th century) File:Hotel Sofievskiy in Uman.JPG, Hotel Sofiivskyi in Uman File:Умань. Головний корпус УНУС (вул. Інститутська, 4).jpg, Uman University File:Lenina street, 35 (Uman).jpg, Soviet apartment blocks File:Uman Zhovtnevoi Revolutsyi 21 (2).jpg, Agrotechnical college File:Uman Zhovtnevoi Revolutsyi 35 (1).jpg, Police department File:Умань, Міська управа (мур.), Садова вул. 2.jpg, Sadova Street File:Умань Комерційний банк.jpg, Commercial Bank (mid-19th century)


See also

*
Sofiyivsky Park Sofiyivsky Park ( uk, Софіївський парк; pl, Zofiówka) is an arboretum (type of botanical garden) and a scientific-researching institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU Department of Biology). The park is locat ...
– a landscape park near the city


References


Bibliography

* (1972) ''Історіа міст і сіл Української CCP - Черкаська область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Cherkasy Oblast)'', Kyiv.


External links


Uman
in th
Encyclopedia of Ukraine

Uman informational portal

Evening Uman. Uman informational portal and newspaper

Uman photos. Uman biggest photos collection portal

Uman videos. YouTube channel of videos of Uman

All about Uman

History of Jewish Community in Uman Uman News and informational portal
{{Authority control Cities in Cherkasy Oblast Umansky Uyezd Bratslav Voivodeship Cossack Hetmanate Breslov Hasidism Jewish pilgrimage sites Shtetls Populated places established in 1616 Cities of regional significance in Ukraine 1616 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Holocaust locations in Ukraine