Jonathan Markovitch

Jonathan Benyamin Markovitch (Йонатан Бін'ямін Маркович; born 21 October 1967) is the chief Rabbi of Kyiv, official representative of Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson and the official Rabbi of the country's prisons.

Biography
Jonathan Benyamin Markovitch was born in 1967 in Uzhhorod (Ukraine), to a rabbinical family. His maternal grandfather (Rabbi Yehezkel Fiyvel Ostraicher) served as the rabbi in Uzhhorod and Schochet in the city.

When he was 3 years old, he immigrated to Israel with his family. As a child, he studied in the school and yeshiva of Chabad in the city of Kiryat Gat. He continued his studies at Yeshiva Kfar Ganim, under the auspices of Rabbi Zucker.

In 1986, he enlisted in the Israeli Air Force, after 12 years of special service he was discharged to the reserve with the rank of major.

Education
Markovitch received rabbinical ordination from Ovadia Yosef, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel

He has a rabbinic status certificate from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and has also been verified and received rabbinical ordination from Eliyahu Aberjel, rabbi of Safed, Levi Bistritsky, Yitzhak Yehuda Yaroslavsky of the Israeli Chabad Rabbinical Court, and the Chief Rabbinate of the Israeli Army.

In addition to his extensive Torah studies, he holds a bachelor's degree in equipment and control from the Technion and also a master's degree in education from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Chief Rabbi of Kyiv
In 2000, Markovitch and his family moved to Kyiv. They founded educational institutions and a community.

His wife, Elka Inna, is the director of the network of institutions Or Avner in Kyiv, founded by Lev Leviev. The network includes kindergartens and schools. In addition, a kindergarten has been created for children with autism during off-hours and extensive events are held for the Jewish population and the city's population.

Hundreds of elderly and needy people regularly receive help - hot food, food kits, medicines, and other essentials. They take part in public events and are regularly visited at home. Young people from the Jewish community are also involved in community activities.

In March 2020, Markovich helped the Ukrainian government obtain help for Ukraine in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Markovitch is the chief rabbi of Kyiv and the emissary of the Chabad movement. He is a respected figure in Ukraine, by the Jewish and non-Jewish communities. He is known for his good relations with Ukrainian government figures and key figures in the Jewish world.

Awards
Order of Merit of the III degree for significant personal contribution to state building, socio-economic, scientific and technical, cultural and educational development of Ukraine, significant labor achievements and high professionalism.

Rabbi Markovitch was awarded the title of diploma of the European Parliament. He is revered by the European Union and received an honorary award for 2018 from the Ukrainian Bar Association.

Family
He is married to Elka Inna Markovich, who is the director of the network of institutions Or Avner. They have seven children.