On Sunday night, a number of leading law firms in Israel participated in a fundraising basketball tournament designed to raise money for the purchase of an ambucycle, (a motorcycle equipped with all of the EMS equipment found on an ambulance aside from the bed and backboard) to United Hatzalah. The ambucycle was dedicated at the end of the evening. The event, which was spearheaded by attorney Jeremy Lustman, Head of DLA Piper Israel group, was held at the Menorah Mivatchim Arena in Tel Aviv.
As part of the tournament, in which representatives from United Hatzalah as well as high-ranking members of the legal industry in Israel participated, attorneys and interns from the leading law firms competed for victory and made a contribution towards the 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.
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. The trophy was presented by Tamir Goodman, a former Israeli-American basketball player who was selected for the list of the best 25 basketball players in the state of Maryland and was even called the "Jewish Michael Jordan" by Sports Illustrated and ESPN's basketball magazine.
At the end of the evening, the participants, who together managed to raise approximately NIS 120,000, held a ceremony to unveil the new ambucycle that was purchased with the money raised and will now be used by volunteers of the organization throughout Tel Aviv and the surrounding area in order to save lives. A spokesperson for United Hatzalah explained that the advantages of an ambucycle include reducing the amount of time it takes for a first responder to arrive and begin treating an injured or ill person. The vehicle assists in this process by allowing the responder to weave through traffic, especially in congested urban centers, and is used by the volunteer to save lives at any time day or night.
Attorney Jeremy Lustman, Head of DLA Piper Israel group said: "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. 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."
Eli Beer, President of United Hatzalah said: "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."