The Defense Ministry is attempting to reach an agreement with the family of IDF Staff-Sergeant David Bogdanovskyi, who fell in battle in the south of the Gaza Strip in December, to remove a cross from his headstone.
"By law, it is not permissible to place a cross or any other religious marker on a military headstone," the ministry said. The family said that other graves in the cemetery have religious markers on them, N12 reported.
"This is especially important in the Haifa military cemetery, where fallen Jewish soldiers are also buried," the ministry added, citing a ruling by the IDF Chief Rabbi that states that the holiness of the Jewish cemetery is harmed by the cross.
The ministry said it is working with the public committee for soldier memorial to reach an agreement with the family "in light of requests by families whose loved ones are buried nearby, who claim that the cross hurts their feelings and their ability to pray and say [the] Kadish [mourning prayer], and in light of the ruling of the IDF chief Rabbi."
Despite working to have the cross removed from Bogdanovskyi's headstone, the ministry expressed its condolences for his death, and emphasized it "will continue to accompany the family and all bereaved families."
It further stressed they are "working and will work sensitively with all sides, and hope that we can reach an agreement and solution as soon as possible."
Bogdanovskyi, a Christian resident of Haifa, made aliyah in 2014 from Ukraine, according to KAN, and served in the Combat Engineering Corps. He fell in Khan Yunis in December of last year. His family was told that they have until the beginning of November to remove the cross, reports said.
Bogdanovskyi's parents
Earlier this month, Bogdanovskyi's mother visited his grave in Haifa and found that his headstone had been covered in a black cloth at the same time as a ceremony was taking place for those killed on October 7, Ynet reported. "I don't have words to describe the humiliation I felt," she told the Israeli news source.
In a post she uploaded to Facebook, she wrote, "David loved the country from the bottom of his heart. The cross engraved on his tombstone is part of his personal identity and the faith he grew up in."
Yulia chose not to remove the black cloth at the state ceremony out of respect for other families who participated. "I respect the feelings of other parents, and I know what pain there is in every heart of a mother, father, sister, and brother. I didn't want to turn the ceremony into a battlefield," she shared in her post.
"I thought that my David, who gave his life to the country, who loved the country with all his heart for nine years since his aliyah, who joined the IDF to defend me, his family, and all of us, is no different than any of the others. He is not a second-class citizen. I stood there and cried with anger, frustration, and without understanding," she said.
"I feel that the army and the state betrayed David's memory," KAN quoted David's father, Vadim. "I don't understand, and there is no one to help me except his friends, who try and fail," Vadim added.
A friend of the family spoke to N12, stating, "The parents are devastated. We are not clear about the reason since there are other graves with crosses on them. Why should David's be removed?" He also said that if the headstone is not removed, the grave will be moved entirely.
According to the accepted procedure in the IDF, the headstones of fallen soldiers are designed in coordination with their families, while maintaining their dignity and personal wishes. The headstones' design is also done in cooperation with the Defense Ministry. Families who choose to add or change elements to their headstones break that law, the N12 report noted.