An official Jewish religious officer was appointed on Friday for the first time to provide Jewish services to soldiers in the Ukrainian military that practice Judaism.
Rabbi David Milman, who has worked with Jewish soldiers in the Ukrainian military for many years, was appointed to the role. His role will be to handle all religious affairs among Jewish soldiers in the military.
Milman was appointed by Colonel Olaxy Trashok, who is responsible on the behalf of the Ukrainian chief of staff for all religious services in the Ukrainian military. The appointment was done at the Kyiv Jewish Community Center, where a ceremony was held at the office of Ukrainian Chief Rabbi Moshe Asman.
As part of the ceremony, Rabbi Milman was presented with an official letter of appointment, from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Chief of Staff, formally appointing him to the position of religious officer for Jews serving in the Ukrainian army. This means he will have sole responsibility for all matters concerning the Jewish religion among Jewish soldiers serving in the Ukrainian army. He has been fulfilling this role informally for many years after having been sent on a mission by the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Moshe Azman.
First Ukrainian Jewish religious officer
The position of Jewish religious officer exists in other militaries, such as the US and various European countries. However, this is the first Jewish religious officer appointed to the position in the history of the Ukrainian military. In foreign armies where the majority of the soldiers are not Jewish, the position of Jewish religious officer is of great importance. Not only does he take care of the soldier’s spiritual needs, but he also represents them in front of senior military officers.
Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) pose for a picture with a national flag after a swapping, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released September 22, 2022 (credit: Press Service of the State Security Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS)Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman said at the ceremony that this was the closure of a circle that on Holocaust remembrance day a Jewish cleric is appointed to the Ukrainian army. He also thanked the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Chief of Staff, whom he called a dear friend and true friend of the Jewish people.
Comments are closed.