Teacher in Chabad School in Ukraine Falls in Battle

chabad.org

The brutal reality of war hit the Jewish community of Zhytomyr, Ukraine, once again when they received word on Wednesday of the death of Andrey Kurovskiy.

Kurovskiy, a non-Jewish Ukrainian, taught computer science in the community’s Or Avner Jewish day school for more than two decades.

“Andrey was one of our most veteran teachers at the school,” said Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, chief rabbi of Zhytomyr and 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. He was truly dedicated to the school’s educational mission for many years.”

When the war broke out in February 2022, Kurovskiy was drafted into a drone unit, where he was posted until he was injured on the battlefield. After recovering with the help of the Jewish community, he chose to return to war to defend, serving in the armed forces until he fell in battle.

Kurovskiy’s students and colleagues were devastated to learn of his passing.

“He worked incredibly hard at the school and had a strong bond with the students,” said a longtime friend.

Kurovskiy’s funeral procession will pass by the Or Avner Chabad school, giving his students and friends a chance to bid him farewell.