WeeklySA_AdminRELIGIOUS MARKER: Israeli military have said the engraved symbol in the cemetery is “offensive” to the relatives of Jewish troops laid to rest nearby…
By RT Correspondent
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has threatened to rebury a fallen Christian soldier unless his family agrees to remove a cross from his gravestone, the man’s relatives have told local media.
David Bogdanovsky, a Christian who moved to Israel from Ukraine in 2014, was killed by an anti-tank rocket in Gaza last December. The IDF sergeant immigrated to Israel with his family because of Jewish heritage on his father’s side.
Bogdanovsky’s family told the media on Monday that they had received a letter from the Defence Ministry, demanding that they remove the cross or have the staff sergeant’s remains reinterred outside the Haifa military cemetery.
”By law, it is not permissible to place a cross or any other religious marker on a military headstone,” the ministry said. The letter reportedly cited a ruling by the IDF’s chief rabbi, saying the holiness of the Jewish cemetery is violated by the presence of a cross.
Military officials also reportedly claimed that they had received complaints from “families whose loved ones are buried nearby [and] who claim that the cross hurts their feelings and their ability to pray.”
Bogdanovsky’s mother told Ynet that when she visited her son’s grave earlier this month, she found his gravestone covered in black cloth.
“I don’t have words to describe the humiliation I felt,” the woman told reporters.
”I thought that my David, who gave his life to the country, who loved the country with all his heart… is no different than any of the other guys, [and] is not a second-class citizen. I stood there and cried with anger, frustration, and disbelief,” she said.
In a post on Facebook, the soldier’s mother explained that her late son’s faith was an “integral part” of his identity. She also expressed shock over her son being singled out, noting that there are other graves with crosses in the cemetery.
While graveyards are typically separated by religion in Israel, a special law allows the burial of non-Jewish service members alongside their Jewish comrades in military cemeteries.
In late 2023, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics estimated that Christians accounted for 1.9% of the population. Israel launched its military operation in Gaza after Hamas militants staged a deadly incursion into Israeli territory in October 2023, killing around 1,100 people and taking more than 200 hostages. According to the health authorities in the Palestinian enclave, a year of heavy Israeli aerial bombardment and a ground offensive have left nearly 42,000 people dead in Gaza.
Meanwhile, AllIsrael reports that Bogdanovsky served in the Combat Engineering Corps and tragically fell in battle in Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip, on December 23 at the age of 19, but his family’s grief has been compounded by the controversy caused by a cross on his gravestone.
Cemeteries in Israel are often separated by religion, with Jewish graves in one area and Christians in another. Bogdanovsky’s family is now experiencing some of the complications that arise when non-Jews bury their loved ones in Israel.
The image of a cross on Bogdanovsky’s gravestone has sparked a sensitive debate in Israel, highlighting the cultural and religious complexities surrounding burial practices in Israel, particularly for non-Jews.
Bogdanovsky’s mother, shared her distress in a Facebook post: “David loved the country from the bottom of his heart. The cross engraved on his tombstone is part of his personal identity and the faith he grew up in.”
For some Jews in Israel, the symbol of the cross has negative connotations due to a history of violent persecution at the hands of the Church.
The Jerusalem Post cited an N12 News report with a statement from the Ministry of Defense statement: “By law, it is not permissible to place a cross or any other religious marker on a military headstone.”
“This is especially important in the Haifa military cemetery, where fallen Jewish soldiers are also buried.” The Post reported that the ministry cited a ruling by the IDF chief rabbi, who said the cross “harms the holiness” of the Jewish cemetery.
The report stated that an agreement was being sought between the public committee for soldier memorial and the Bogdanovsky family “in light of requests by families whose loved ones are buried nearby, who claim that the cross hurts their feelings and their ability to pray and say [the] Kadish [mourning prayer], and in light of the ruling of the IDF chief rabbi.”
The family pointed to other gravestones that have such markers and told Ynet that when Bogdanovsky’s mother was visiting his grave, she found a black cloth covering it. This took place during a ceremony to mark those who fell on October 7 2023.
Yulia decided to leave the cloth in its place out of respect for the families attending the ceremony. “I respect the feelings of other parents, and I know what pain there is in every heart of a mother, father, sister, and brother. I didn’t want to turn the ceremony into a battlefield,” she said.
However, she told Ynet: “I don’t have words to describe the humiliation I felt.”
“I thought that my David, who gave his life to the country, who loved the country with all his heart for nine years since his aliyah, who joined the IDF to defend me, his family, and all of us, is no different than any of the others. He is not a second-class citizen. I stood there and cried with anger, frustration, and without understanding.”
The story has been covered by several Israeli news outlets, including KAN, which reported the words of Bogdanovsky’s father, Vadim. “I feel that the army and the state betrayed David’s memory,” he said.
Haifa-based news source “Haipo,” published a statement from the city’s deputy mayor, Yossi Shalom.
“Following the incident, I contacted MK Meir Cohen who contacted DefenCe Minister Yoav Galant so that he would handle the issue, which is within his area of responsibility,” Shalom wrote.
“Our warriors sacrificed their lives so that ours would have a better life in this country. We must give them, at the very least, the respect they deserve, for their work for the country and for us. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the memorial ceremonies and we, as a municipality, will work to refine the procedures for them.”
Maxim Karuchik, chairman of the foreign relations division of the Likud Youth, told Haipo: “It is a shameful and disgraceful act to cover the grave of an Israeli hero who fell in battle in defence of the country.
Those actually responsible must be found and severely punished. It is unimaginable that the mother of an IDF soldier comes to visit her son’s grave and discovers such an injury to his honour. I intend to act in every possible way to make sure that the guilty bear the consequences. We must apologise to the family and repair the serious injury to their dignity.”
According to N12, the headstones should be designed in cooperation with the Defence Ministry and families that choose to make additions or changes are violating that law, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Despite efforts to have the cross removed by November, the ministry expressed its condolences for the IDF soldier’s death at the hands of Hamas terrorists last October.
The ministry said it “will continue to accompany the family and all bereaved families,” and that it would “work sensitively with all sides, and hope that we can reach an agreement and solution as soon as possible.”
Yulia Bogdanovsky expressed her deep grief with the situation, saying, “I am disappointed, crying and screaming in pain. This is not the Jewish people I fell in love with.” – RT and AllIsrael
