Zelensky awards Ukraine’s chief rabbi with the Order of Merit
The head of Ukraine’s Jewish community was honored for his contribution to “statehood and the defense of sovereignty.”
On June 27, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree awarding the Order of Merit, 2nd Class, to Moshe Reuven Asman, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine.
According to decree No. 424/2025, the high state award was given for “significant contributions to strengthening Ukrainian statehood, courage and dedication shown in defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” as well as for “a substantial personal contribution to the development of various spheres of public life.”
Moshe Asman, who heads the All-Ukrainian Congress of Jewish Religious Communities, is one of the few religious figures to receive such high recognition for “defending the national interests of the state” and “conscientiously fulfilling his professional duty.”
It is worth recalling that on June 16, 2025, Chief Rabbi Moshe Asman, in an interview with Glavcom, invited President Volodymyr Zelensky to pray at the central Kyiv synagogue. The rabbi said that a personalized seat in the front row had been prepared for the president.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Zelensky had awarded a cleric of the OCU who oversaw the seizure of a cathedral in Chernivtsi.
