Morale and spirit are resources that are difficult to measure in times of war. Nevertheless, Ukrainian military chaplain Lt. Rabbi Yakov Sinyakov's job is to keep the faith among the Ukrainian soldiers fighting against the Russian invasion.
While Sinyakov offers spiritual guidance as the first Jewish chaplain attached to a Ukrainian military unit, he explained in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that 80% of his work is psychological counseling.
His master’s in psychology helps him understand the needs of soldiers, he said, but sometimes, when Sinyakov visits soldiers in the trenches or drone operators on a base, it’s just a matter of offering an ear to listen.
The rabbi had visited one unit that had lost many soldiers. He sat with the enlisted men, just drinking coffee and listening to what they had to say for two hours. He didn’t speak much, but that was what those soldiers needed. The next time he saw them, they ran out to greet him and thanked him for his support.
“Sometimes we mustn’t speak,” said Sinyakov. “We must listen and look at their eyes and say, ‘Yes, I see you.’”
Sinyakov said he makes sure to visit everyone in the unit, from administration to logistics to front-line combatants. It can be easy to forget how non-combat soldiers feel the weight of the war.
During one visit, he made sure to tell logistics soldiers that the continued fight was only possible because of their efforts. Without them, there would be no food in the stomachs of fighters, no cartridges in the chambers of their rifles. This invigorated them and reminded them of the value of their contributions.
The rabbi can be out traveling for a few days at a time. Sometimes he has to stay on the front when the day grows too dark for a safe return. Regardless of the extent of his travels, Sinyakov always makes sure to bring chocolates and sweets to give the soldiers a taste of home.
Recently, he visited a unit exercising at a forward training base, an earthwork surrounded by freshly dug trenches and dragons’ teeth. The soldiers were practicing first aid, maneuvering in trenches, and throwing grenades. He could see that some of them were new recruits, mixed in with veterans to help teach them.
They gathered to hear Sinyakov speak about Hanukkah and the Maccabees’ fight against an occupying force that sought to eliminate the defenders’ culture and identity.
Sinyakov handed out a book of psalms in Ukrainian
At the end of each speech, Sinyakov hands out a book of psalms in Ukrainian, explaining that it was scripture not just for Jews but for many other denominations as well. Soldiers often seek out the little books, treating them as religious icons that may bring them good luck.
One logistic colonel had a Jewish prayer book as a keepsake, stemming from his general interest in learning about other religions. Once, a soldier asked Sinyakov to bless him with holy water. Others have a better understanding that he is Jewish and the customs are different. The sight of his tzitzit has become more common, with some soldiers referring to it as “holy spaghetti.”
Most people the rabbi encountered were not very educated in matters of religion, calling themselves Christian but not having much understanding beyond the identity. Yet they understood him to be a holy man, and though he was a Jewish chaplain for many Christian soldiers, he could always start with the basic point of shared belief in God.
“We must know God is one, Ukraine is one, and every person has God’s soul,” said Sinyakov. “Christians, Muslims, Jews; we believe in God who created this world. And after this, I try to speak about general questions.”
Sinyakov hadn’t always wanted to be a chaplain. He had started the war volunteering with refugees. Then, as a rabbi of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU), he began to seek out Jewish soldiers to give them support. When he visited Jewish soldiers, their gentile peers would come to hear his sermons and advice. Sinyakov started helping as many soldiers as he could, offering insight as a rabbi, a student of psychology, and a master of martial arts through his own gym.
Many units invited him to become their chaplain, but he didn’t want to be restricted to one unit. Eventually, he acquiesced to a request from a friend, a high-ranking military officer. He’s been working in this official capacity for five months, long enough for soldiers to begin to jokingly refer to their unit as “kosher.”
Some matters in war are universal, regardless of faith, such as theodicy. One soldier told Sinyakov that he didn’t believe in God because he had seen so many friends killed in the war. The rabbi asked him why he continued to fight, and the man answered that he believed in Ukraine, defending the country, and in his family.
Sinyakov said that this was his choice. God gave him free will, just as he gave free will to the Russians who invaded the country.
The understanding of this choice among Ukrainians muted thoughts about having to take a life, according to Sinyakov. Many regarded Russian invaders as “orcs,” beings that had chosen evil. Not by the design or choice of the defenders, an “evil reality” had been created, leaving Ukrainians with no option but to kill.
Sinyakov compared the situation to the attacks by Gazans against Israel during the October 7 massacre, saying that there was no choice in how to address the situation. Yet while the Ukrainian people must kill and endure now, he believed that after the war, they will have much work addressing the weight of these necessary actions.