KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Servicemen, veterans and others gathered in Kyiv on Thursday to remember the adopted son of Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi, Moshe Azman, who was killed in battle. The funeral service underscored the unity of Ukraine’s diverse communities in the fight against the Russian invasion.
Anton Samborskyi, 32, was reported missing in late July and his death was confirmed after weeks of uncertainty. The service was held at Kiev’s Central Synagogue, followed by a burial at the city’s Jewish cemetery.
Rabbi Azman, who adopted Samborskyi when he was a 10-year-old orphan, shared his grief publicly and named his son by his chosen Jewish name, Matityahu, or “Moty.”
Azman wrote in a social media post that Samborskyi had a daughter in May, but was drafted into the army a week after the baby was born. He said the last time he spoke to his son was on July 17.
About 100 mourners, including military personnel and veterans in uniform, many carrying flowers and wearing yarmulkes — some with camouflage designs — gathered for the service. Mourners filed past the closed casket, which was draped with a tallit, or Jewish prayer shawl, and embraced Azman and his family members.
“He went to the front voluntarily … as someone who wanted to defend his country. So he joined an assault brigade,” David Milman, a Jewish army chaplain who attended the service, told The Associated Press.
Ukraine has a centuries-old Jewish heritage, with Jewish communities playing an important role in the country’s cultural and religious history, despite periods of persecution. The Jewish population was decimated during the Holocaust in World War II.
Jews currently make up an estimated 0.2% of the country’s population, including the wartime president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Olena Tolkachova, a member of an assault brigade fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, said volunteers from all walks of life had joined the fight against Russia.
“This is very important for Ukraine, because not only Ukrainians from the mainstream are fighting for our country, but also different ethnicities and different religious groups — Orthodox and Catholics, Jews and representatives of the Islamic faith,” she told AP after the service.
“His position was very simple: he was very pro-Ukraine and wanted to help,” she said. ___
