War didn't stop Hasidic pilgrims from gathering in Ukraine for the Jewish new year

Jewish pilgrims gather at a lake to perform Tashlikh, an atonement ritual that involves symbolically casting one's sins into a body of water, during the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Rabbi Nachman's tomb in Uman, Ukraine on Monday. Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a reported 23,000 adherents made the trip, which was complicated by the grounding of civilian aviation throughout Ukraine. (Pete Kiehart for NPR)

UMAN, Ukraine — For all but a week a year, the city of Uman is like any small city in Ukraine. The economy usually revolves around a bus factory and some grain processing facilities.

But every fall, thousands of Hasidic Jews from around the world transform a central neighborhood in Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.