Ten of Israel's leading law firms raised NIS 172,000 (approximately $57,000) to provide hot meals to residents of northern Israel, where communities continue to recover from the damage and displacement caused by the war with Hezbollah.
The funds were raised during the fifth annual DLA Piper Israel Charity Basketball Tournament, held at the Hashalom Sport Center in Tel Aviv, with proceeds going to Leket Israel, the country's national food bank.
The tournament brought together lawyers from some of Israel's largest firms, exchanging their courtrooms for a basketball court to support families struggling to rebuild their lives.
"The north absorbed more than its share, and long after the headlines moved on, families there are still putting their lives back together," said Jeremy Lustman, managing partner of DLA Piper Israel.
"A hot meal, every day, is one of the most concrete forms of support we can offer."
The tournament has raised more than NIS 670,000 ($220,000) for charitable causes over the past five years, according to the organizers.
Supporting Israel's northern communities
The latest fundraising effort focused on the continuing needs of northern Israeli residents, many of whom were forced to leave their homes following Hezbollah's attacks that began after October 7, 2023.
Although residents have been returning to communities along the Lebanese border, the region continues to face economic and social challenges as families and businesses work to recover from the prolonged fighting.
Leket Israel's hot meals program provides prepared, nutritious food to people in need, while reducing food waste by rescuing surplus meals that would otherwise be discarded.
"Food rescue is not charity. It is national infrastructure," said Gidi Kroch, CEO of Leket Israel.
"Every shekel donated here becomes a hot, nutritious meal on a table in the north, while preventing perfectly good food from being destroyed."
Founded in 2003 by Joseph Gitler, Leket Israel distributes rescued food through a network of more than 360 nonprofit organizations, reaching approximately 470,000 people in need each week, according to the organization.
In 2025, it rescued more than 2.24 million cooked meals and over 32 million servings of fruit and vegetables.
Meitar takes home the trophy
On the basketball court, Meitar emerged as the tournament champion after defeating Arnon, Tadmor-Levy in the final.
Meitar attorney Orpaz Azoulay was named the tournament's most valuable player.
The participating firms included Amit, Pollak, Matalon & Co.; Arnon, Tadmor-Levy; FBC & Co.; Furth, Wilensky, Mizrachi, Knaani; Goldfarb Gross Seligman; Gornitzky; Herzog Fox & Neeman; Meitar; S. Horowitz & Co.; and Shibolet & Co.
The event was organized by DLA Piper Israel, the Israeli arm of the international law firm, which operates in more than 40 countries.