Prayers in hebrew ring in the air. No, it isnt jerusalem but the ukrainian city uman. Tens of thousands of hasidic jews from all over the world flock there to celebrate the jewish new year. These ultraorthodox jews make the pilgrimage to central ukraine every year because a founder of their sect is buried there. Uman is a nondescript town of some 80,000 inhabitants. Its soviet apartment blocks and quiet streets transform each every year to accommodate its visitors. The new year is a happy occasion, involving singing, dancing, and outbursts of praise to the consternation of some locals. Reporter the pilgrims, who were mainly from the Breslover Hassidic sect, arrived from all over the world via kyiv airport. They were met by sascha hofman, a care worker from hannover who is one of the organizers of the annual pilgrimage. An old hangar had been transformed into a makeshift synagogue where the beginning of rosh hashanah, jewish new year, was celebrated. Sascha hofman had more practical mat
Move ever closer to their homes. So what does this battle mean for the people of mosul itself, and for the region as a whole . Thats what we will be talking about with three people who are following events there very closely. It is a pleasure to welcome amir musawy, an iraqi journalist based in berlin. He says a military victory over i. S. In mosul means the possibility of a fresh start for iraq. Daniel gerlach is the founder and editor in chief of zen ith, a magazine about the islamic world, and he says that whoever wants to conquer mosul should rumor renumber how it fell into i. S. Hands in the first place, through political failure. Finally, a pleasure to welcome alan posener, a political commentator for the berlin daily die welt. He believes i. S. Will soon be history, but what happens next . If the west leaves the region to itself, sunni rage will create an even more brutal successor. Amir musawy, as i hear it you will be leaving within a few hours in order to go to iraq and a com