Uman Massacre
• In the middle and end of the 18th century. Uman was one of the best fortified fortresses in the Podil region. Therefore, many Jews found refuge in Uman during the infamous Haydamac uprising of 1768.
• At the end of June 1768, hordes of Haydamaks led by Ivan Gonta entered the city. They brutally killed every Jew in their path. Most of the remaining Jews fled to Uman's main synagogue. All of them, including women, children and the elderly, were brutally tortured and killed over three days - June 21, 22, 23, 1768 (corresponding to Tammuz 6, 7, 8 5528 according to the Jewish calendar). Thousands of innocent victims were killed by Gonta and his troops.
Rabbi Nachman from Breslau
• Rabbi Nachman of Breslau (April 4, 1772 - October 16, 1810) was one of the most outstanding early Hasidic masters and a direct descendant of the Baal Shem Tov - the founder of Hasidism.
• Rabbi Nachman of Breslau was a great rabbi, leader and thinker whose teachings continue to inspire and guide many Jews around the world today
• During Rabbi Nachman's lifetime, he repeatedly expressed his desire to be buried among the victims of the Uman massacre. He said that their resting place is especially sacred because they were killed for their faith in the Almighty
• After the rabbi's death on October 16, 1810, he was buried between two mass graves of the victims of the Haydamaks.
Tzadik Nachman's grave as a place of pilgrimage
• Judaism teaches that prayer at the grave of a righteous person has a special meaning. It is customary to pray at the graves of the righteous on the anniversary of their death, as well as in times of personal or social crisis.
• Rabbi Nachman expressed his wish that his Hasidim come to pray at his grave every Rosh Hashan - the Jewish New Year.
• This tradition began immediately after the death of Rabbi Nachman and continues to this day. Even under communist rule, people risked their freedom to pray at Rabbi Nachman's grave on Rosh Hashanah
Umani ancient Jewish cemetery
• During the Nazi occupation and the Soviet era, the cemetery was looted, the tombstones were broken and removed, and small private houses were built over the graves.
• The grave of Rabbi Nachman was preserved, but a private house was built nearby (the outer wall of the house adjoined the edge of the grave)
• After the collapse of the Soviet Union, President Leonid Kravchuk began the process of returning the cemetery to the Jewish community, but this process was never completed
• In the last few years, developers have started buying up land in the cemetery and building high-rise buildings. These structures violate both Ukrainian legislation and international agreements.
• Human remains were repeatedly found on these illegal buildings