Very Early Spring In Uman, Ukraine

I am still sharing with you photos from our Passover trip to the Ukraine, which is fortunate as I've been so busy with graphic design work that I have not had even a moment to craft, though I am dreaming of it! On our adventures in the Ukraine our home base was Uman, not the most beautiful city I must say as the Ukraine is very depressed generally except in the large cities like Odessa and Kiev. Uman is a total mish mash of new and old pre-war, post-war, you name it, though it is home to a very lovely park called Gan Sofia (in Hebrew) which is a must. We visited the park on a day when I could not take photos, so none of that loveliness to share with you. Instead I share with you a few little glimpses of beauty from amidst the bare trees and amidst the rubble. Not to get me wrong, Uman in a very very beautiful place, but not the kind of beauty that shows up in photos…….rather the kind of beauty that brings around 75,000 or more visitors for the Jewish holiday of Rosh HaShana for a spiritual experience at the gravesite of Rebbe Nachman. You can google Rebbe Nachman to learn about his teachings that while written more than a hundred years ago are more relevant than ever. In the mean time, lets take a little walk in Uman!

Bud on bare trees. This is the pond where the crowd of 50,000 gathers to say Tashlich on Rosh Hashana, which must be quite a sight!
Blue water. Old cottages that I love, with new public type housing.
Tiny purple flowers everywhere, if you look.

Wheeping willow trees with yellow branches.
Ah yes, this looks a bit familiar, a wild bulb of some kind with a flower on a long stalk, I would think.
The pond in Uman, all to ourselves.
Old apartments built on top of the Jewish cemetery sadly enough, but now mostly owned by Jews in an interesting turn of events. There are 30,000 Jews buried in a mass grave here, and Rebbe Nachman choose to be buried beside them even though he was actually from the town of Breslev, a 2 hour car ride from Uman. Rebbe Nachman's grave site was miraculously saved at a time when no outsiders were let in to the area, and is on the other side of these buildings.
A new house on the pond.
One last look at early spring in Uman. Thanks for joining me!