This morning, 180 firm employees from our Jerusalem and central Israel offices gathered to host the founders of “Bo’u – Coming to Save Them and Us”, an initiative aimed at raising public awareness of the urgent need to return the hostages and encouraging activism. The initiative is driven by the belief that rescuing the hostages will also help heal Israeli society.

Opening the event, Adv. Assaf Lapid, our partner, established a link between Tu BiShvat and the event’s theme by briefly discussing the origins of the phrase “For man is like the tree of the field” in the context of laws of war. Adv. Lapid went on to say: “According to Maimonides, ‘there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives.’ The reality unfolding just an hour and a half from here affects all of us—both as a society and as individuals—though we may not fully grasp or internalise the implications of the conditions in which the hostages are being held.”

These implications were at the core of the gathering, which featured three lectures offering different perspectives on captivity and the hostage situation:
🔹 Dr. Amir Blumenfeld, former Head of Trauma at the IDF Medical Corps, provided an overview of the medical condition of the hostages and the physiological and psychological effects of prolonged confinement in tunnels.
🔹 Dr. Hili Kochavi, an educational psychologist, addressed the impact of the hostage situation on Israeli society and its psychological effect on children.
🔹 Adv. Dr. Moran Savorai, who petitions the High Court of Justice on behalf of the hostages and their families, offered a constitutional perspective on the right to life and the state’s obligations.

Adv. Amir Amar, Head of the Firm, delivered a special address emphasising our moral and ethical duty to bring our brothers and sisters home from Hamas captivity.