Zvi-Hirsh (Grisha) Zovergzde, a 32-year-old married father of two young children, was killed Thursday during combat operations on the Kherson front, marking another tragic loss for Ukraine's Jewish military personnel. The professional chef from Odessa served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 34th Brigade, a unit tasked with protecting southern Ukraine from Black Sea invasions and securing major river estuaries flowing into the sea.
Zovergzde left behind his wife and two children – 4-year-old Alisa and 5-year-old Lev – along with ambitious dreams that will never be fulfilled. The Odessa resident had planned to establish Europe's first kosher restaurant to earn a Michelin star in his beloved port city, waiting only for the war's end to pursue this culinary vision.
Ukrainian military officials notified Yaakov Siniakov, who oversees Jewish soldiers for the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU), of Zovergzde's death. Siniakov coordinated the waiver of post-mortem examination procedures and arranged for a traditional Jewish funeral scheduled for later this week in Odessa. The ceremony will include the city's chief rabbi for southern Ukraine and regional Chabad emissary Rabbi Avraham Wolff, who is handling local burial preparations.
The deceased had graduated from Odessa's Jewish Chabad school, developing deep roots within the local Jewish community that shaped both his personal and family life through years of active participation in community affairs.
Wolff, Zovergzde's spiritual leader, offered this tribute, "Zvi-Hirsh belonged to all of us – our student, community member, and defender who sacrificed his body for his homeland. His character uniquely blended Jewish compassion with extraordinary bravery. Our hearts ache for his family... His memory will live on through our love and sorrow, may his soul find eternal peace. Our entire community grieves while praying for his soul's elevation, embracing his family during this painful time."
This death follows the recent loss of Jewish soldier Andrei Korovsky from Zhytomyr, who taught at the local Chabad school and died last week from cardiac complications. Korovsky had operated drones, sustained combat injuries, returned to active duty, but suffered fatal heart problems while deployed at the front.
Approximately two weeks earlier, Ukrainian forces lost actor and journalist Maksym Nelipa in eastern Ukraine battles. The 48-year-old had been among Ukraine's most recognized reality television personalities before the war began. His son Artyom, currently serving with the 12th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, received news of his father's death while stationed in the Gaza Strip.
Nelipa abandoned his entertainment career when hostilities erupted, reporting to Kyiv recruitment centers in his native city to enlist as a combat soldier. After front-line deployment, he earned promotion to company commander before suffering wounds in January 2025. Following hospital treatment in Dnipro, he returned to active combat duty.
Ukrainian media provided extensive coverage of the Jewish hero's sacrifice. The Jewish federation again intervened to secure proper burial arrangements, locating a military cemetery plot in Kyiv and preventing cremation – a practice increasingly common for fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
According to Rabbi Mayer Stambler, who chairs the Jewish Communities organization, estimates suggest more than 200 Jewish fighters have perished during the conflict. "We facilitate Jewish funeral services alongside Chabad representatives throughout the country, provide financial assistance to bereaved families, and conduct prayers and Kaddish recitations honoring our fallen heroes," Stambler explained.
