The Ukrainian city of Uman is preparing to welcome some 40,000 Breslov hasidim and other Jews, who are expected to fill its streets ahead of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), which this year falls on Saturday and Sunday.

The arrival of tens of thousands of visitors is generating an unprecedented short-term economic boost, reflected in a dramatic surge in demand for rental apartments, restaurants, convenience stores, transportation services, and local businesses.

The economic impact is directly reflected in figures from Ukraine's State Agency for Tourism Development and the local government: Tourism taxes collected from pilgrims reached a record high, bringing approximately 20 million hryvnias (about NIS 1.35 million) into the city's coffers, compared with approximately 17 million hryvnias the previous year.

The daily tourism tax has been set at 432.35 hryvnias per person for those staying in private accommodations and 216.18 hryvnias for those staying in hotels and hostels. Collection is carried out in part through a rapid digital scanning system.

Beyond the direct tax revenue flowing into the municipal budget - earmarked for improvements to infrastructure, education, and healthcare - local business owners and private entrepreneurs are among the primary beneficiaries of the influx of money.

Residents renting out their apartments, as well as restaurant and store owners, see enormous increases in business during the days of the annual gathering.

At the same time, the municipality faces particularly heavy operating expenses. Garbage removal, ongoing cleaning, and sanitation services around Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's gravesite compound cost the city millions of hryvnias.

Now, with tens of thousands en route to Ukraine, attention is turning to the overall economic balance of the annual event - the enormous revenues generated for private businesses and the city's tax income, versus the substantial costs of maintaining services during the pilgrimage.