"The Tzaddik Called Me to Him in Uman and I Came"

Reb Daniel Matri from Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, the westernmost kibbutz in Israel located near the border of Israel and Gaza, merited this year to arrive for the first time in his life at the great "Kibbutz" (gathering) of Breslov Chassidim in Uman.

In an interview with the Breslov Information Line, Daniel shared excitedly: "I felt that my turn had come to reach the tzaddik (righteous leader). I merited to be in Uman for Rosh Hashanah. I returned enlightened. The joy and excitement still accompany me every day and do not leave me for a moment."

He shared that the kibbutz is a "mixed kibbutz" where secular and religious people live side by side, and that, Baruch Hashem (thank God), there is a synagogue operating in the kibbutz. "There is a tikkun (rectification) for this place. The synagogue and the prayers are what will stop the terror," he said.

Regarding his first trip to Uman, Daniel said: "I felt that the tzaddik invited me. At first, a friend called me and invited me to go, but I declined the request; only after a relative called and also invited me did I feel that this time I must go. I experienced a spiritual pleasure that is difficult to describe in words. I pray that next year I will also merit to reach Uman. One must be there to understand what happens there. The tzaddik called me and I came. The unity there is a wonderful thing, and I wish it were like that in the Land [of Israel] as well. This is how we will merit the Geulah (Redemption)."