British Jew killed in Ukraine war had ‘lifelong passion for Israel,’ served in IDF
Jonathan Shenkin, 45, killed in December while serving as paramedic in Ukrainian military; was on team of ex-soldiers who rescued US woman from West Bank in 2009, brother says
Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel
A British Jew who served in the Israel Defense Forces was killed fighting in Ukraine in December, his family said on Wednesday.
Originally from Glasgow, 45-year-old Jonathan Shenkin died in an “act of bravery” and received a “Valour in Combat” medal while serving as a paramedic in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, his brother Daniel wrote on Facebook, without elaborating on the location or details of his death.
Tens of thousands of people have traveled to Ukraine to join its military’s foreign legion after Russia launched its invasion last year. The Washington Post reported last month that 1,000 to 3,000 remain active, with the bulk of recruits returning home.
Jonathan “made the ultimate sacrifice to defend values we all believe in,” the social media post read.
“Spending much of his life helping others, he was notably involved in the 2009 rescue of an American citizen held hostage in the West Bank,” Daniel wrote, apparently referencing the operation by a group of former IDF soldiers to extract an American woman married to an abusive man. She and her son were rescued from a Palestinian village, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
Shenkin had a “lifelong passion for Israel,” Daniel wrote, noting that his brother ran his own security firm, and traveled to several “hostile arenas around the world.”
“These included two tours of Iraq, UN military contracts in Afghanistan, a military medic in Oman, close protection in Somalia, security detail in Angola, amongst many more,” Daniel wrote. “He is survived by his son and daughter, to whom he was devoted.”
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office said they were “supporting the family of a British national who died in Ukraine, and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A member of Glasgow’s Jewish community confirmed to The Times of Israel that Shenkin had served in the IDF.
The Foreign Ministry told The Times of Israel it was not aware of the soldier’s death. “Nobody has contacted us about him,” they said.
Shenkin is the eighth known British citizen to have died in Ukraine since the invasion began. The UK government has warned against traveling to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia, noting a “real risk to life.”
Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
