---
title: "Body of 44-Year-Old British Jew Found in Uman During Rosh Hashanah: Police and Jerusalem Post Disagree on the Circumstances"
description: "On September 12, the body of a 44-year-old British Jew who had come to Uman for Rosh Hashanah was found. Police found no signs of violence, however, Jerusalem Post reports the opposite. The investigation is ongoing."
date: 2026-09-14T16:56:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/uman-body-of-british-jew-found-rosh-hashanah-en
tags: [uman, rosh-hashana, ukraine, jewish-pilgrimage, investigation, britain]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Body of 44-Year-Old British Jew Found in Uman During Rosh Hashanah: Police and Jerusalem Post Disagree on the Circumstances

![Emergency rescue workers and law enforcement officers at the scene of a body discovery in Uman forest during Rosh Hashanah](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/15/uman-naideno-telo-britanskogo-evreya-rosh-ga-shana/uman-naideno-telo-britanskogo-evreya-rosh-ga-shana-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The body of a 44-year-old British citizen of Jewish origin was found on September 12 in a tree belt in Uman on Kotsyubynskoho Street
- The Cherkasy Regional Police found no external signs of violent death and opened a case under Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code
- The Jerusalem Post reports signs of violence on the body, which contradicts the version of the Ukrainian law enforcement officers
- The deceased was the father of seven children, entered Ukraine on August 10, had no permanent housing, and prayed frequently in this tree belt
- The incident occurred against the backdrop of the arrival of approximately 17,000 pilgrims in Uman for Rosh Hashanah

On September 12, 2026, around noon, the Uman District Police Department of the Cherkasy Regional Police received a report about the discovery of a man's body in a tree belt on Kotsyubynskoho Street. The deceased turned out to be a 44-year-old British citizen of Jewish origin who had been living in London. As reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement from the Cherkasy Regional Police, the man had entered Ukrainian territory on August 10 and arrived in Uman to take part in the celebration of Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year, which is traditionally accompanied by a mass pilgrimage of Hasids to the grave of Rebbe Nachman.

### Circumstances of the Discovery and the Course of the Investigation

The body was found in a tree belt opposite one of the residential buildings. Law enforcement officers conducted an initial examination and, according to their data, found no external signs of violent death on the body. A criminal case was opened under Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — death by negligence. The investigation established the circle of people with whom the deceased had been in contact during his stay in Uman. According to acquaintances, he had no permanent residence, deliberately minimized contact with those around him, and spent most of his time alone. It is noted that the man had repeatedly come to this very tree belt to pray.

### Who Was the Deceased

According to The Jerusalem Post, the deceased was a British Jew, the father of seven children. Journalists of the Israeli-British publication emphasized that the circumstances of his death remain unclear. It was precisely this statement that prompted a careful comparison of the versions, because, as will be shown below, in assessing the medical signs on the body of the deceased, the Ukrainian police and The Jerusalem Post give substantially differing characterizations.

### Contradictory Data

The key discrepancy between the sources concerns the presence or absence of signs of violence on the body of the deceased. The Ukrainian police, in an official statement, explicitly state that "no external signs of violent death were found on the body." At the same time, The Jerusalem Post, citing its own sources, reports that signs of violence were found on the body, although it emphasizes that the circumstances of the death remain unclear. As of the publication of this article (September 15, 2026), the final results of the forensic medical examination, which could resolve this contradiction, have not been made public. Both versions are presented in the article in the form in which they were provided by the respective parties, and the final conclusion on the cause of death will be made exclusively on the basis of the expert report.

### Context: The Pilgrimage to Uman in 2026

The death of the British citizen occurred against the backdrop of a massive influx of pilgrims to Uman. According to RBC-Ukraine, by early September 2026, approximately 17,000 Hasids had already arrived in Ukraine, despite the ongoing threat of Russian shelling. The main flow of pilgrims passes through border crossing points adjacent to Moldova, in particular through "Starkozachee." This year, the U.S. State Department recommended that its citizens refrain from traveling to Uman for the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage. To ensure safety, traffic restrictions were introduced in the city, and in early September, Israeli police arrived in Uman to coordinate security measures during the celebration.

### What Comes Next

Investigative actions are ongoing. The police of the Cherkasy region confirmed that they are establishing all the circumstances of what happened, including checking the version of a natural death and ruling out other scenarios. The final legal qualification of the incident will be given after the completion of the forensic medical examination. The family of the deceased has been notified, according to available data. The editorial team of XAB.info will continue to monitor the development of the situation and publish updates as official statements from law enforcement agencies become available.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Died During Rosh Hashanah: Body of a Jew from Britain Found in Uman](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/pomer-pid-chas-rosh-ga-shana-umani-znayshli-1789404657.html) - Основной источник: дата обнаружения (12.09, ~12:00), адрес (ул. Коцюбинского), личность (44 года, Лондон, въезд 10.08), квалификация (ч.1 ст.115 УК), отсутствие внешних признаков насильственной смерти по версии полиции, поведение погибшего, 17 тыс. паломников, рекомендация Госдепа США.
- [Uman Prepares for Rosh Hashanah: Which Restrictions Are Already in Effect](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/life/_uman-gotovitsya-k-rosh-gasana-kakie-ogranicheniya-uzhe-dejstvuyut/1230234) - Контекстный источник по ограничениям и подготовке Умани к празднованию. Не содержит прямых данных о смерти, но подтверждает общий контекст паломничества 2026 г.
- [Israeli Police Arrive in Uman for the Duration of the Rosh Hashanah Celebration](https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/4816990-yzraylskaia-polytsyia-prybyla-v-uman-na-vremia-prazdnovanyia-rosh-kha-shana) - Подтверждает присутствие израильской полиции в Умани в период Рош га-Шана 2026 г., что согласуется с контекстом безопасности паломничества.
- [Entry to Uman to Be Blocked for Two Weeks During Rosh Hashanah: Where Traffic Will Be Restricted](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/life/_v-ezd-v-uman-perekroyut-na-dve-nedeli-vo-vremya-rosh-gasana-gde-ogranichat-dvizhenie-transporta/1257722) - Контекстный источник по ограничениям и подготовке Умани к празднованию. Не содержит прямых данных о смерти, но подтверждает общий контекст паломничества 2026 г.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who was the deceased and where did he come from?
**A:** The deceased was a 44-year-old British citizen of Jewish origin who had been living in London. According to The Jerusalem Post, he was the father of seven children. He entered Ukraine on August 10, 2026, and arrived in Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

### Q: When and where was the body found?
**A:** The body was found on September 12, 2026, around 12:00, in a tree belt on Kotsyubynskoho Street in Uman, opposite one of the residential buildings.

### Q: Are there any signs of murder?
**A:** The Ukrainian police state that they found no external signs of violent death and opened a case under Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code (death by negligence). However, The Jerusalem Post reports signs of violence on the body. The final conclusion will be made after the forensic medical examination.

### Q: How many pilgrims came to Uman in 2026?
**A:** According to RBC-Ukraine, by early September 2026, approximately 17,000 Hasidic pilgrims had arrived in Ukraine. The main flow passes through border crossing points adjacent to Moldova, in particular through "Starkozachee."

### Q: Did the U.S. State Department recommend traveling to Uman?
**A:** Yes, in 2026 the U.S. State Department recommended that its citizens refrain from traveling to Uman for the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage.