Beloved Teacher Falls in Battle

The Fellowship  |  June 9, 2025

The Fellowship has received tragic news from our partners at the FJC about the Jewish Community of Zhytomyr, Ukraine.

Andrey, a longtime teacher at the Or Avner Chabad school, has fallen in battle.

Despite being injured a few months ago, he decided to return to combat once he had recovered his strength. This past week, the community received the painful news of his death.

“Andrey was one of our most veteran teachers at the school,” said Rabbi Wilhelm, Chief Rabbi of Western Ukraine. “He was in charge of the entire computer education program – a computer science teacher, a programmer, and deeply passionate about the field, including printing technologies, design, and related areas.”

Rabbi Wilhelm noted that when the war began, Andrey was drafted into the military’s drone unit.

Andrey is not the first casualty from Zhytomyr’s Jewish community since the war began. “Each time, the heart breaks again,” said Rabbi Wilhelm. “One time it’s a teacher, another time it’s a student – the tragedy never ends.”

“There is constant concern,” he added, “since many of our alumni and community members are serving in the military. One must understand that in Ukraine, every man is drafted, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find good teachers.”

Andrey’s funeral procession will pass by the school building to give students the opportunity to participate and honor his memory.

We are praying for Andrey’s family, friends, students, and fellow teachers as they navigate this painful loss.