ByMICHAEL STARR
Updated:

A Hungarian Jewish soldier who fought in the Ukrainian military was buried in Kyiv on Thursday, after falling in combat in May, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU) and the Benjamin Aser Memorial Foundation.

Benjamin Aser left an administrative position in the Hungarian military about a year after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and enlisted in the Ukrainian military. The 21-year-old was unsatisfied with serving in a unit he believed was “quiet” and transferred to the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. He served as a combat medic and in logistics but ultimately volunteered to go to the front as a rifleman.

Aser was killed by a drone in the Kharkiv region on May 24. He fell while helping another foreign volunteer, ignoring orders to retreat in favor of holding the position to continue returning fire. Until now, Aser’s body wasn’t able to be returned from the front.

Nathan Aser, Benjamin’s father, arrived in Kyiv for the ceremony and had asked for his son to be buried in Ukraine because his heart was tied to the country and its people.

People attend the funeral of Ruslan Filipenko, 22, Artur Baranets, 22, and Oleksii Yashchenko, 21, who voluntarily joined local Territorial Defense unit and were killed in March 2, 2022, after they were recently identified by DNA analysis, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Irpin, Kyiv
People attend the funeral of Ruslan Filipenko, 22, Artur Baranets, 22, and Oleksii Yashchenko, 21, who voluntarily joined local Territorial Defense unit and were killed in March 2, 2022, after they were recently identified by DNA analysis, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Irpin, Kyiv (credit: REUTERS/Alina Smutko)

The Thursday ceremony at Independence Square was attended by Nathan Aser, who lives in Canada, and presided over by Ukrainian Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman.

'Sacrificed his life to protect people from Russian terrorism': Azman

“For a Jew, by nature, it is difficult to sit at home when he sees injustice, when people are being killed,” said Azman.

“Benjamin came from Hungary and sacrificed his life to protect people from Russian terrorism. We hope and pray for true peace soon.”

The Benjamin Aser Memorial Foundation said on Facebook that the young volunteer’s memory would live on in the hearts of “every Ukrainian, Hungarian, Canadian, and Jewish person.”

“Benjamin’s deeds will not be forgotten. He stands as an example that true bravery resides in the strength of the soul and that the struggle for freedom is a common cause of all peoples,” the Toronto-based foundation wrote. 

"This war is about defending honor, freedom, and human dignity, and Benjamin was among those who unhesitatingly stood on the side of truth.”

The FJCU offered its condolences to the Aser family, adding that every good deed tipped the scales toward the Messiah’s redemption when there would be no more war.

“This is a noble deed that will never be forgotten, and we will add his name to the long list of Jewish fallen,” said the FJCU.

Over 100 Jews have died fighting for the Ukrainian military since the Russian military invaded.