A 49-year-old Hasid, Yonatan Karlinsky, who was detained while attempting to return to Israel after celebrating Rosh Hashanah in Uman, has been mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He is expected to serve as a doctor at a military unit in the Kharkiv area, but not on the front line.
This was reported by Ynet, citing the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.
Karlinsky, who lives in Beitar Illit, is an Israeli citizen and a native of Ukraine. He traveled to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, and during a document check at the Ukrainian-Romanian border it was established that he was liable for military service in Ukraine. He was then detained.
His family tried to secure his release but was unsuccessful. According to the report, further checks also showed that the claim that he was exempt from service as the father of six children was incorrect — he has one daughter.
About a week ago, the Ukrainian military informed the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine that Karlinsky was being held at a detention facility for deserters in Odesa. He was provided with kosher food, and his rights were checked with the involvement of Rabbi Shneur Vigler and Avraham Wolf, the chief rabbi of Odesa and southern Ukraine.
The Federation told the family’s lawyer, Shlomo Haddad, that Karlinsky would not be sent to an area of direct combat. He will serve as a doctor at a rear base several dozen kilometers from the combat zone.
According to the organization, Karlinsky also said in a video provided by the military that he was feeling well and was being treated properly.
The Federation said Karlinsky has medical knowledge and that the Ukrainian army is short of medical personnel. It also noted that he had previously served in the military before becoming religious and moving to Israel.
“Every Ukrainian citizen is needed here, so there is no possibility of securing an exemption. Karlinsky said that for religious reasons he does not want to carry a weapon, and they accommodated him by assigning him as a doctor. Perhaps later we will be able to integrate him into the Ukrainian army’s military rabbinate,” said Rabbi Meir Stambler, head of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.
