On September 7, the President of the Euro Asian Jewish Congress, Alexander Mashkevich, visited the Ukrainian city Uman to pray on the grave of Rabbi Nachman from Bratslav on the eve of Rosh-ha-Shana. Members of the EAJC General Council, which convened during the previous day in Kyiv, also visited the grave of the great tsaddik together with the EAJC leader, as did the Head Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel Iona Metzger, First EAJC Vice President Michael Mirilashvili, EAJC Vice Presidents Merab Elashvili, Eduard Greenshpun, Boris Litovsky, President of the All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress Vadim Rabinovich, and other people of note.
After reading 18 psalms recommended by Rabbi Nachman himself, the EAJC President participated in the opening ceremony for the Uman Central Command for Assistance and First Aid of the Israeli volunteer organization ZAKA, which is concerned with identifying those who were killed in terroristic attacks and aid in emergencies.
Alexander Mashkevich also met with the head of the Cherkasky Oblast administration Sergey Tulub. "He proposed a number of interesting solutions to organize the arrival of tens of thousands of pilgrims," the EAJC leader told the journalists. "We decided to create a kind of town, where there will be a permanently active synagogue, as well as a place where tens of thousands people can pray, where there will be hotels and places to eat. It will be a kind of pilgrimage center, which will create civilized conditions for all fifty or seventy thousand pilgrims." Mashkevich noted that he was pleased with the results of the meeting, and certain that the project will soon be implemented.
The EAJC President underscored, "Most importantly – we have prayed before the New Year as was bequeathed by Rabbi Nachman, and I feel great mirth. I am also very grateful to all of the people who live here, and to the oblast administration, and the oblast leaders for their warm, cordial, veracious welcome."