Order “Hero’s Cross” for Matityahu Samborsky, the son of the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Asman, who died in the war with Russian aggressors: a memory that war does not erase

In Ukraine, they quietly and heavily remember Matityahu (Anton) Samborsky — the son of Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi Moshe Asman, who died on the Pokrovsk direction and is now posthumously awarded the “Hero’s Cross” order. On December 4, 2025, the rabbi himself announced the award, publishing a photo of the order and a few lines that are difficult to read without a pause.

Asman wrote that his son Moti, who served in the 46th brigade, remained at the position alone against a Russian strike to save his comrades and hold crucial equipment. A representative of the brigade at the previous award ceremony spoke about this in detail — as an act that leaves no doubt about the scale of his selflessness.

The rabbi’s phrase about “pride through tears” became one of the most quoted responses of the day. He emphasized that it is an honor for him to raise a person who became a hero not only for Ukraine but also for the Jewish people.
The farewell ceremony for Matityahu took place on September 12, 2024, at the Central Synagogue of Kyiv.

Many know the family’s story: Anton was the adopted son of Rabbi Asman and his wife. They adopted him in 2002 when the boy was 11 years old and gave him the name Matityahu — in honor of the leader of the Maccabean revolt. He is survived by his wife and a young daughter, born a week before he went to the front.

Moshe Reuven Asman is a figure long part of Ukraine’s public life. Chief Rabbi of the Brodsky Synagogue, head of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Jews, founder of the Jewish settlement Anatevka. Since 2005, he has held the position of Chief Rabbi of Ukraine.

The “Hero’s Cross” order is awarded to the families of fallen defenders — as a sign that the feat does not disappear with the person. It is a way for the state to say that their names continue to live. We will continue to follow such stories because they form the living memory of the war and the community for which it became personal. In the materials of “NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency,” we return to them again to prevent them from dissolving over time.