- December 9, 2025
- 3:41 pm
- Ukraine
A special place in the exhibition is occupied by the symbol of the Star of David, which in the modern context acquires a new meaning — as a sign of unity, mutual support, and joint struggle for Ukraine’s independence.
Author’s Exhibition by Pavel Kozlenko “Under the Star of David”
“Under the Star of David” is an exhibition about the residents of the Odessa region, modern fighters for Ukraine’s independence of Jewish origin, who with their dedication, courage, and work prove that Ukrainian freedom is created through the joint efforts of people from different cultures and traditions, — said Pavel Kozlenko at the opening of the event. —
At the center of the exposition are personal stories of military personnel, volunteers, artists, doctors, entrepreneurs, and public figures.
Their struggle is not only about defending their native land from aggression but also about affirming the values of dignity, memory, and mutual respect. The exhibition shows how the symbol of the Star of David — a millennia-old sign of the Jewish people — in modern Ukraine gains a new meaning: it unites communities and becomes a sign of unity and solidarity in the joint struggle for freedom.”
From October 20 to 26, 2025, the Odessa Holocaust Research Center presented Pavel Kozlenko’s author’s exhibition “Under the Star of David” at the genocide museum “Territory of Memory.” The exhibition is dedicated to modern fighters for Ukraine’s independence of Jewish origin, who with their dedication, courage, and work prove that Ukrainian freedom is created through the joint efforts of people from different cultures and traditions. This cultural event was part of the program of the Days of Jewish Culture in Odessa.
Who are they — the heroes
Below are the names and brief facts, from the original stands. Photos of the stands were posted on their account by Chabad Odessa.
🕯️ Ali Shabay
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Died in May 2022 in the Kharkiv region, near the Russian border. His body was long considered missing, later found and identified using DNA. Buried in a Jewish cemetery in Ukraine.
🕯️ Maksym Buligin (Wolf)
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, native of Zhytomyr. Fought since February 2022. Died in 2024 during a combat mission. Posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage” III degree.
🕯️ Vyacheslav Adamenko (Partisan)
Ukrainian who emigrated to Israel, served in the Israel Defense Forces. Returned to Ukraine and voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Died in March 2022 in Donbas. Buried in Lviv.
🕯️ Anton Samborsky (Matityahu)
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, served in the territorial defense of Kyiv. Buried in a Jewish cemetery. Survived by his wife and daughter.
🕯️ David Starover
Senior soldier, native of Donetsk region. Volunteer. Died in 2023 while performing a combat task. Posthumously awarded a state award of Ukraine.
🕯️ Yevhen Yatsyna (Benya)
Senior soldier, one of the “cyborgs.” Died in the battle for Donetsk airport in January 2015. Buried in Kyiv. A memorial plaque was installed in his honor.
🕯️ Oleksandr Dubovyk (Partisan)
Volunteer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, served in the National Guard. Died on the front in May 2023. Posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage” III degree.
🕯️ Anton Beskonechny
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Mykolaiv. Died between Chasiv Yar and Russian positions in April 2024. Buried according to Jewish tradition.
🕯️ Semyon Jensen (Sem)
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fought as part of the 59th brigade. Died in the summer of 2024 in the Donetsk region. Buried in Dnipro.
🕯️ Andriy Glembotsky (Kapa)
Lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, previously lived in Israel. Returned to Ukraine after the war began in 2014. Died in September 2022. Survived by his wife and three children.
🕯️ Yuriy Urshansky
Lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, commander of a self-propelled artillery battery. Died in August 2025 in the Zaporizhzhia region from an FPV drone strike.
🕯️ Maksym Shvartsman (Marvel)
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Kherson region. Died in the summer of 2023 during a mission. Posthumously recognized with awards. Survived by his wife and two children.
🕯️ Hennadiy Mikhel
Captain of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with roots in Cherkasy, his family also lived in Israel. Died in October 2022 near Kharkiv. Posthumously awarded the Order of Danylo Halytsky.
🕯️ Andriy Reznikov (Pero)
Junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, died in November 2022 in the Donetsk region. Buried in Lviv.
🕯️ Hryhoriy Zvirgdze (Grinch)
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, native of Odessa. Died in the summer of 2025. Buried in the third Jewish cemetery of Odessa. He has two children.
🕯️ Leonid Krasnov (Month)
Senior soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Dnipro. Participated in battles in Donbas. Died in April 2023. Awarded the “Golden Cross” badge.
🕯️ Vladyslav Shein
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, volunteer. Died in February 2023, saving comrades during shelling. Posthumously awarded. A memorial plaque was opened in Dnipro.
🕯️ Rodion Vayner
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, native of Kryvyi Rih. Died in February 2023 during a mission. Survived by his wife and daughter.
Photos from the Exhibition
There is no abstraction here — only life and memory
In each stand — not just biographies. This is — the route of fate:
childhood, parents, education, service, home, decisions, choice, war.
Everyone has a different path.
But the end is the same: defending Ukraine at the cost of one’s own life.
These stories are not about the past. They are about the present. About the fact that Ukrainian Jewry is part of the state, its army, its struggle, its pain, and its strength.
Why it matters
This exhibition speaks in simple and honest words:
- Ukraine is multinational.
- The Jewish community is part of its history and future.
- Fighting for the country means being its citizen in the full sense.
- Memory is action.
Instead of a conclusion
People stood by the wall with portraits. No one was in a hurry. No one spoke loudly. At such exhibitions, they do not seek effects. Here you understand a simple thing: in our country, freedom always stands on someone’s shoulders and someone’s lives.
That is why it is important that Odessa pronounces these names. That we read them. That they have not disappeared in the news streams but are returned to memory.
The exhibition shows how the symbol of the Star of David — the sign of the Jewish people — in modern Ukraine gains a new meaning: it unites communities and becomes a sign of unity and solidarity in the joint struggle for freedom.
This project reminds us that the history of Ukraine has always been polyphonic, and Independence is the fruit of the efforts of all citizens, regardless of national or religious origin.
Who is Pavel Kozlenko
Pavel Yukhimovich Kozlenko – https://www.facebook.com/pavel.kozlenko.1
- Born June 17, 1970, Odessa, Ukrainian SSR.
- Ukrainian historian, Holocaust researcher.
- Candidate of Philosophical Sciences (2009, South Ukrainian Pedagogical University named after Ushinsky).
- Head of the Odessa Holocaust Research Center.
- Initiator and author of the concept of the Holocaust Museum – Victims of Fascism in Odessa (opened June 22, 2009).
- Creator of the Genocide Museum “Territory of Memory” in Odessa.
- Vice-president of the charitable foundation “Memory of the Victims of Nazism” (2011–2022).
- Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine (2015).
- Author and curator of documentary exhibitions on the topic of the Holocaust and memory (including “On the Other Side of the Line,” “Holocaust in Granite”).
- Author of works and collections of documents on the history of the Holocaust in Odessa, including:
- “The Long Road of Summer…” (2011)
- “Odessa. Documents and Testimonies. 1941–1944” (2015)
- Author and curator of the exhibition “Under the Star of David” (Odessa, 2025), dedicated to Jews — defenders of Ukraine.
