Kyiv rabbi seeks IDF guidance to avoid cremating Jewish soldiers in Ukraine
Chabad’s Jonathan Markovitch is working on protocol for handling remains of Jewish soldiers, as the Ukrainian army’s standard practice of cremation is barred under Jewish law
Rossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.
Rabbi Jonathan Markovitch, a top rabbi from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, is working with the Ukrainian military leadership to draft an army protocol to avoid the cremation of Jewish fallen soldiers.
For this purpose, Markovitch told The Times of Israel, he visited the IDF Shura Base in Israel last week and met with the IDF Chief Rabbi Brig. Gen. Rabbi Eyal Krim to learn about the Israeli army experience.
Cremation is strictly prohibited under Jewish law. According to Markovitch, cremation is currently the standard procedure for handling the bodies of the fallen in the Ukrainian army.
“In Ukraine, there are Jewish soldiers who are fighting because they are Ukrainians and must and want to defend their country,” Markovitch said. “Unfortunately, there are also Jewish soldiers who are wounded or killed.”
Markovitch explained that when he or other rabbis in the country hear about the death of a Jewish soldier, they work to find a solution on a case-by-case basis, trying to reach out to relevant army commanders to prevent the body’s cremation and expressing the need for a Jewish burial.
“It can be difficult also because junior officers are concerned about following the rules, which I completely understand,” he shared. “They want to do everything by the book, and rightly so. This is why we need a permanent solution, a proper protocol that deals with the issue orderly.”
Markovitch has served as a Chabad emissary in Kyiv for over two decades.
The rabbi said that he was operating with the blessing of the Ukrainian military leadership.
“I want to praise both the military and the political leaders in Ukraine because they are very considerate of the issue of religious needs for all religions,” he highlighted.
During the visit, Markovitch and Krim discussed issues related to the Jewish burial of soldiers in times of war, including when it is permissible to desecrate Shabbat for this purpose.
“We will take the protocols of the Israeli army, translate and adapt them to the Ukrainian army,” Markovitch said. “It is a process that will require time, but it is important to start it.”
According to the rabbi, it is very difficult to estimate how many Jews are serving in the Ukrainian army.
“Nobody knows for sure, and even if they did, it’s sensitive information that cannot be disclosed for security reasons,” he said.
In September 2024, the Chabad-affiliated Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine said they had provided support to some 1,200 Jewish soldiers who had approached them and assisted in the burial of 47 Jewish soldiers who had fallen in combat since the start of the war.
Estimates quoted by the Wall Street Journal on Friday suggest that the total number of soldiers who have died in the war since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, ranges between 40,000 and 100,000.
According to Markovitch, Ukrainian Jews feel very much a part of general Ukrainian society and share its determination to protect the country.
“In Ukraine, the Jewish community does not feel any different from the rest of the country. We are part of the nation,” he said. “The war has brought people together. This unity is why, even after three years, Russia and its powerful army have not managed to win.”
The Times of Israel Community.