Türkiye's Erdogan wishes happy Rosh Hashanah to Jewish community

Türkiye's president has conveyed warm wishes to the Jewish community on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

"I wholeheartedly congratulate our Jewish citizens on Rosh Hashanah. The fact that our citizens with different faiths have been living together in peace for centuries is one of the main features that always make our country strong," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a message released by the Presidency on Sunday.

The president said that the differences are "richness" that will further elevate Türkiye in every area.

"I would like to take this opportunity to extend my wishes that Rosh Hashanah, which marks the start of the new year in the Hebrew calendar, may bring peace and welfare to all the Jews, including our Jewish citizens," Erdogan said. 

This year, Rosh Hashanah is being observed from September 25-27.

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Rosh Hashana in Ukraine

Separately, tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman for their annual pilgrimage, officials said on Sunday, despite authorities asking them to skip the trip because of the conflict.

Every year, Hasidic Jewish pilgrims come to Uman from across the world to visit the tomb of one of the main figures of Hasidic Judaism for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.

The central Ukrainian city of Uman is relatively far from the front line, but Ukrainian and Israeli authorities urged worshippers to skip the celebrations taking place between September 25 and 27 this year.

But despite the warnings, crowds of Hasidim dressed in traditional black clothing gathered in Uman, celebrating in the streets.

"This is the most important day of the year to be able to connect with God. And this a great place to do it," one pilgrim, Aaron Allen, told AFP.

"There were sirens, but coming from Israel we are used to sirens, we know what to do. We feel pretty safe," said Allen, a 48-year-old doctor from Yad Binyamin.

Police set up a wide perimeter to access the area around the grave, checking IDs and only letting through residents and Hasidim.

The United Jewish Community of Ukraine NGO said that more than 23,000 pilgrims had arrived in Uman.

Uman in central Ukraine has been hit several times by Russian strikes since the conflict began on February 24.