Jerusalem, Israel - Sept. 8, 2022 - It isn’t every day that Baltimoreans are prominently featured in an Arutz Sheva article, but two were mentioned in, “Israeli law firms hold basketball fundraiser for United Hatzalah -- 'A League of Their Own': Major Israeli law firms host fundraising basketball tournament for United Hatzalah” [9/6/22].

Baltimore scored big when Attorney Jeremy Lustman, Head of DLA Piper Israel group, spearheaded a basketball tournament held at the Menorah Mivatchim Arena in Tel Aviv, on September 4. The high-ranking Israeli law firm professionals vs. United Hatzalah representatives’ competition raised ~NIS 120,000 for the purchase of an ambucycle.

Among the firms that took part were Barnea & Co., Gornitzky GNY & Co., Gross, Yigal Arnon-Tadmor Levy, Naschitz, Brandes Amir Co., Fischer (FBC & Co.), and Furth, Wilensky, Mizrachi, Knaani – Law Offices | FWMK. As Arutz Sheva reports, the winner of the tournament was the office of Naschitz Brandes Amir & Co. which defeated the lawyers from the Gornitzky GNY & Co. office in the finals. Amit Gershon from the Naschitz office was crowned the MVP of the tournament and the trophy was presented by Baltimore basketball legend Tamir Goodman.

At the end of the evening, a ceremony was held to unveil the new ambucycle that was purchased with the money raised. If you have ever tried driving through the congested, winding streets of Yerushalayim, for example, you can well imagine just how crucial ambucycles are for United Hatzalah – throughout the country. These regular motorcycles – which, due to their size, are not delayed by traffic jams or narrow streets, as cars and ambulances are – are equipped with just about everything a first responder needs, short the stretcher! Currently, United Hatzalah operates around 350 ambucycles throughout Israel, with an average response time of 2.5 minutes.

"We are proud to have initiated and taken part in a true and courageous partnership, for the sake of society in Israel and the saving of human lives,” notes Attorney Lustman. “The ambucycle donated by the money raised from the tournament illustrates the great social involvement that prevails in Israel in general and among the various law firms in particular. Thanks to this mutual collaboration, the new life-saving vehicle will streamline emergency medical response and will be used by United Hatzalah volunteers when every second matters the most."

Adds Eli Beer, President of United Hatzalah, "Saving lives is a responsibility that is shared by everyone: medical professionals, passers-by, as well as businesses, companies, and corporations. We would like to thank the Israeli branch of DLA Piper and their partners for holding the tournament and for their support of United Hatzalah. We appreciate the efforts and sportsmanship with which the ambucycle was donated, which will be used to help preserve the lives of the residents of Tel Aviv and the surrounding area, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender. Through these types of collaborations, we can cut down emergency medical response times, reach a larger number of people, and continue our mission to save more lives."