- July 20, 2026
- 3:15 pm
- Ukraine
In the midst of the war, Ukraine continues to be one of the most important destinations for Jewish religious pilgrimage. In July 2026, representatives of the Hasidic dynasties of Nadvorna, Kretchnif, and their associated communities once again set out to the graves of their spiritual ancestors. The central point of the route was the Transcarpathian Bushtyno, where Rabbi Mordechai Leifer of Nadvorna is buried.
The Israeli ultra-Orthodox publication Kikar HaShabbat on July 20, 2026, published a large photo gallery of the pilgrimage of Hasidic admors and rabbis across Ukraine.
In the photos, participants of the trip are seen traveling in modern cars, horse-drawn carriages, and on horseback. However, the unusual transport is just the most noticeable part of this story. The main significance of the trip is related to the period of Jewish mourning, the long-standing Hasidic tradition, and the grave of one of the most revered leaders of the Nadvorna dynasty.
Hundreds of pilgrims and representatives of several dynasties
According to Kikar HaShabbat, the trips are made annually during the so-called Nine Days—the final and most stringent part of the mourning period before the fast of Tisha B’Av.
Hundreds of Hasidim participate in the pilgrimage, accompanying the spiritual leaders of the Nadvorna, Kretchnif communities, and numerous offshoots of these dynasties.
The published photo gallery features:
- Admor Kretchnif — Kfar Ata;
- Admor Medzhybizh;
- Admor Bitchkov;
- Admor Bishtina;
- Admor Nadvorna;
- Admor Nadvorna — Elad;
- Admors Kretchnif-Sighet;
- Representative of Kretchnif-Sighet from Williamsburg;
- Admor Terbishan.
The photographs, judging by the captions, were taken during trips of several separate groups. The publication combined them into one collection as part of the overall annual pilgrimage of Hasidic leaders to places associated with the history of their families and communities.
The main point of the route is Bushtyno in Transcarpathia
The center of the pilgrimage was the settlement of Bushtyno in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine.
In Hasidic and old Jewish sources, this place may be called Bishtna, Bishtina, or Bustina. The local Jewish cemetery houses an ohel—a special grave structure—of Rabbi Mordechai Leifer of Nadvorna and members of his family.
The Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reports that the exact date of the cemetery’s appearance is unknown. It was not yet on the cadastral map of 1865, so researchers assume the cemetery appeared later.
The oldest surviving tombstone dates approximately to 1890.
There are about 250 tombstones on the cemetery grounds. It is surrounded by a concrete fence with metal gates and continues to be used.
The National Library of Israel holds a photograph of the ohel taken in 2010. In the library’s catalog, Rabbi Mordechai Leifer is listed with the years of life 1824–1894. However, in the database of the Center for Jewish Art, the year of his death is marked as 1895, so there is a one-year discrepancy in reference sources.
Who is Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna and why is he so important
Rabbi Mordechai Leifer, known in the Hasidic world as Mordchele Nadvorner, was born in 1824 in Nadvorna—the modern city of Nadvirna in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. He died on October 15, 1894, the first day of the Sukkot holiday—15 Tishrei 5655, and was buried in Bushtyno. In some reference databases, 1895 is mentioned, but the National Library of Israel and Jewish calendar sources indicate 1894.
He came from one of the oldest Hasidic families in Galicia. His father was Rabbi Issachar Dov Ber Leifer, also known as Berche of Nadvorna, who founded the Nadvorna dynasty and died in 1848. Through his paternal line, Mordechai Leifer was a great-great-grandson of Rabbi Meir the Great of Premishlan—one of the early disciples of the founder of Hasidism, Baal Shem Tov.
After his father’s death, Mordechai became one of the continuers of the Nadvorna dynasty and entered its history as the second admor. His brother, Rabbi Aaron Aryeh Leib Leifer, continued to lead the court directly in Nadvorna, while Mordechai gradually expanded the dynasty’s influence far beyond his hometown.
At different periods of his life, Rabbi Mordechai was in Nadvorna, Khust, and then settled in Bushtyno. The exact dates of his relocations are not documented, but it was in Bushtyno that the final period of his life took place. Despite the relocations, followers continued to call him Mordechai of Nadvorna.
Rabbi Mordechai gained fame among Jews in Galicia, Transcarpathia, Hungary, and Romania. Hasidic sources describe him as an ascetic, a person of exceptional piety, and a spiritual mentor with a deep understanding of people. Thousands of Jews came to him for advice, blessings, and help in difficult family, medical, and financial circumstances. Stories of his miraculous abilities belong to the religious tradition of his followers.
His sayings, interpretations of the Torah, prayers, and customs were preserved by students and descendants. Subsequently, they were included in the books “Maamar Mordechai,” “Tiferet Mordechai,” “Gdulat Mordechai,” and other collections, which continue to be studied in the Nadvorna communities and related courts. The National Library of Israel holds several editions of “Maamar Mordechai,” published by Rabbi’s descendants.
The main reason for his special significance lies not only in personal fame.
The sons and grandsons of Rabbi Mordechai created numerous independent Hasidic courts in Stanislav, Satmar, Kretchnif, Khust, Zholyn-Lantsut, Nyiregyhaza, and other cities.
One of his sons, Rabbi Meir Rosenbaum, became the first rebbe of the Kretchnif dynasty. Therefore, modern communities of Kretchnif, Kretchnif-Sighet, and their branches are directly connected to Rabbi Mordechai by family origin. Other descendants continued the lines of Nadvorna-Satmar, Nadvorna-Khust, and Nadvorna-Stanislav.
It is this branched genealogy that explains why representatives of several dynasties come to the grave in Bushtyno. For them, Rabbi Mordechai is not just a revered righteous man of the 19th century, but a common ancestor and spiritual source of traditions that are preserved today in Israel, the USA, the UK, Canada, and other countries.
His death in Bushtyno turned the small Transcarpathian settlement into one of the important points on the map of Nadvorna Hasidism. Here his life path ended, here is his grave, and it is here that the descendants of the dynastic lines he created continue to bring kvitlach—notes with people’s names and requests for help.
However, Rabbi Mordechai Leifer was not the founder of the Spinka dynasty. Spinka was founded by Rabbi Yosef-Meir Weiss. The confusion arises because a significant part of the pre-war Jews of Bushtyno indeed belonged to the Spinka and Sighet Hasidim, but these communities existed parallel to the Nadvorna tradition.
For NANews — News of Israel, this story is also important because it shows that the Jewish heritage of Ukraine remains part of the modern religious life of Israel, the USA, and European communities, and not just a page of pre-war history.
Jewish history of Bushtyno
Jews began to settle in Bushtyno no later than the early 18th century. Initially, the community was small but gradually grew along with the development of trade, the timber industry, and transport links in Transcarpathia.
In 1848, about 90 Jews lived in Bushtyno, making up approximately 8% of the population. In 1872, there were 98 Jews, and by 1880 their number increased to 142.
The community grew especially rapidly at the end of the 19th and the first third of the 20th century. According to the 1930 census, 1,042 Jews lived in Bushtyno—about 30% of all residents of the settlement. Thus, almost every third resident of pre-war Bushtyno was Jewish.
The economic life of the community was closely linked to the timber industry, which was of great importance for all of Transcarpathia. A significant part of the Jewish residents was engaged in logging, processing, and trading timber, as well as rafting it down local rivers.
Other community members ran shops, craft workshops, inns, and small enterprises. Jewish traders and craftsmen served routes between Transcarpathian villages, towns, and neighboring regions of Central Europe.
The settlement had a synagogue, prayer houses, religious schools, and charitable organizations. The community helped needy families, supported religious education, and ensured the observance of traditional norms of Jewish life.
In the 1920s–1930s, branches of Jewish social and political movements appeared in Bushtyno. Religiously, many local Jews belonged to the Spinka and Sighet Hasidim. Therefore, the small Transcarpathian settlement was at the intersection of several influential directions of Hungarian and Carpathian Hasidism.
The first heavy blow to the community was experienced even before the mass extermination of Jews in Transcarpathia. In 1938, during armed clashes in the region, the local synagogue burned down.
After Transcarpathia came under Hungarian rule, the situation of the Jewish population gradually worsened. Anti-Jewish legislation limited the ability to work, trade, own businesses, and participate in public life.
In August 1941, several dozen Jewish families from Bushtyno were deported to territories occupied by Nazi Germany. Many of these people were subsequently killed.
Jewish men from Bushtyno also ended up in labor battalions of the Hungarian army. They were used for heavy and dangerous work, often without proper food, medical care, or protection. Some of the mobilized ended up on the Eastern Front, where many died or were captured.
In the spring of 1944, the remaining Jews of Bushtyno were gathered and deported to the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Thus, the community, which before the war numbered more than a thousand people and formed a significant part of the settlement’s population, was almost completely destroyed.
At the same time, dozens of natives of Bushtyno fought against Nazi Germany as part of Czechoslovak military formations, including units under the command of Ludvik Svoboda.
After the war, approximately 30 Jewish families returned to Bushtyno. However, it was no longer possible to restore the previous community life and pre-war population size.
In 1947, Soviet authorities closed the local synagogue. Despite bans and pressure on religious life, the remaining Jews continued to gather for prayer in private homes.
In the 1950s–1970s, they periodically tried to maintain an illegal minyan—a gathering of at least ten adult Jewish men necessary for public prayer.
Gradually, most of the remaining families left Bushtyno. People moved to major cities of the Soviet Union, repatriated to Israel, or emigrated to other countries.
By the early 1980s, only six Jews remained in the settlement. The numerous community, which before the Holocaust formed an important part of the economic, religious, and public life of Bushtyno, had effectively ceased to exist.
Why the pilgrimage is conducted during the Nine Days
In 2026, the Nine Days began with the onset of the month of Av on the evening of July 14. The first full day of the period fell on July 15.
The fast of Tisha B’Av begins after sunset on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, and ends in the evening of July 23.
Tisha B’Av is considered the most severe day of mourning in the Jewish calendar. It is primarily associated with the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the subsequent exiles and persecutions of the Jewish people.
During the Nine Days, additional restrictions apply in religious Ashkenazi communities. It is customary to avoid entertainment, celebrations, music, and other expressions of joy. Many do not eat meat or drink wine, except on the Sabbath and certain religious occasions.
At first glance, a trip to the grave of a righteous person during the most difficult period of the calendar may seem unusual. However, in the tradition of the Nadvorna and Kretchnif dynasties, these days are considered especially suitable for praying for people experiencing severe trials.
“Bring me heavy notes during the Nine Days”
The basis of the pilgrimage is a saying attributed to Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna by Hasidic tradition.
According to the dynasty’s followers, during his lifetime he said that it is during the Nine Days that the most difficult requests should be brought to him—so-called “shvere kvitlach”, or “heavy notes.”
A kvitl is a note in which a person’s Jewish name and their mother’s name are indicated, as well as a request for health, children, family well-being, marriage, livelihood, or getting out of a difficult situation.
During the admor’s lifetime, such notes were handed to him personally. After his death, believers continue to bring kvitlach to his grave.
Kikar HaShabbat writes that Rabbi Mordechai’s promise is passed down in the dynasty from generation to generation. According to the followers’ belief, it is precisely in the days between the beginning of the month of Av and Tisha B’Av that prayer at his grave can help in especially difficult circumstances.
Stories of miracles, healings, and supernatural assistance belong to the religious faith and oral tradition of Hasidic communities. They cannot be considered independently verified historical or medical facts.
Route through Romania, Ukraine, and Hungary
One of the most detailed trips was organized for the admor Kretchnif — Kfar Ata and his accompanying group.
The pilgrimage was named “Shvere kvitlach” — “Heavy Notes”.
The group departed from Israel to Cluj, located in Romania. From there, the pilgrims headed to Sighet—a historical center of Jewish life and a place associated with several Hasidic dynasties.
In Sighet, they planned to visit the grave of the author of the religious work “Yetev Lev” and the burial sites of other spiritual leaders, as well as to spend the Sabbath.
Before the Sabbath, the trip participants were to visit Kretchnif and the grave of Rabbi Meir of Kretchnif.
After the Sabbath, the route continued across the Ukrainian border to Bushtyno, to the grave of Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna.
Then the pilgrims were to leave Ukraine for Hungary, visit Kerestir, go to Budapest, and from there return to Israel.
Thus, the trip is not just a visit to one grave, but a large route through historical centers of Hasidism, located today in Romania, Ukraine, and Hungary.
Continuation of tradition after the death of the admor Kretchnif-Sighet
The 2026 trip has additional significance for the Kretchnif-Sighet community.
The Hasidic publication Bechatzros HaKodesh reported that the pilgrimage takes place during the mourning year after the death of the previous admor Kretchnif-Sighet, the author of the work “Raza de-Emuna.”
He visited Bushtyno annually. The last such pilgrimage took place approximately a year before the current trip and a few weeks before his death.
In 2026, his son and successor, for the first time after assuming leadership of the community, continued this tradition and went to places associated with the dynasty’s ancestors.
Why Hasidim visit Ukraine during the war
For many Hasidic dynasties, the territory of modern Ukraine is the place of origin of their spiritual traditions.
Before the Holocaust and the subsequent destruction of religious life by Soviet authorities, there were dozens of centers of Hasidism here. The names of Ukrainian cities and settlements are still preserved in the names of communities existing today in Israel, the USA, and Europe.
Nadvorna, Bitchkov, Medzhybizh, Bushtyno, and other places are perceived by pilgrims not just as geographical points. These are cities where their spiritual leaders lived, religious schools were created, communities were formed, and traditions were passed down.
During the current trip, admors visited the graves of righteous people and conducted collective prayers. Hasidic sources describe their main goal as a plea for mercy for individuals and the entire Jewish people.
NANews — News of Israel notes that such trips also bring the little-known history of Jewish communities in Ukraine back into the public space. Cemeteries and ohels, which remained almost abandoned for decades, are once again becoming places of constant religious presence.
What carriages, horses, and expensive cars mean
The headline of the Israeli publication separately emphasizes that Hasidic leaders traveled in luxurious cars, carriages, and on horseback.
However, the material itself does not state that the use of horses or carriages has independent religious significance.
Judging by the published photographs, it is about local transport and individual visual episodes of the trip. The carriage and horses are not an obligatory part of prayer at the grave or the tradition of the Nine Days.
The main content of the pilgrimage remains visiting burial sites, reading prayers, delivering kvitlach, and maintaining the connection of modern Hasidic communities with their Ukrainian roots.
Ukraine as part of living Jewish memory
The pilgrimage to Bushtyno is noticeably different from the multi-thousand trips of Breslov Hasidim to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.
There is no single huge center and tens of thousands of participants here. Instead, separate groups representing several related dynasties come to Ukraine.
But the symbolic significance of these trips remains great.
Against the backdrop of war, destruction, and the ongoing threat to historical monuments, the trip of Hasidic leaders shows that the Jewish history of Ukraine did not end after the Holocaust or the Soviet period.
The grave of Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna, an old cemetery with approximately 250 tombstones, and annual prayers during the Nine Days connect modern Israel with the Jewish past of Transcarpathia.
For pilgrims, it is primarily a religious journey and an opportunity to bring ‘heavy notes.’
For Ukraine, it is a reminder that the small towns and settlements of the country remain crucial points on the map of the world’s Jewish heritage.