Going to Court
Hostages’ Families Demand NIS 400,000 from Yeshiva Over Disgraceful Use of Hostage Symbols
The Hostages’ Families Headquarters has sent a formal warning letter to Yeshivat Ateret Shlomo, led by Rabbi Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, accusing the yeshiva of exploiting and degrading the symbols and slogans associated with the hostages’ campaign.
A legal dispute has erupted between the Hostages’ Families Headquarters and Yeshivat Ateret Shlomo, headed by Rabbi Shalom Ber Sorotzkin. On Thursday, the families’ organization sent the yeshiva a detailed cease-and-desist letter demanding it immediately stop using the hostages’ campaign symbols and pay NIS 400,000 in damages.
According to the letter, the yeshiva made “cynical, degrading, and unauthorized use” of the hostages’ imagery and slogans during a campaign, violating copyright and trademark protections. “This constitutes a blatant infringement of the families’ intellectual property, a misleading representation, and exploitation of the campaign’s reputation for political purposes,” the letter states.
The demand comes on the same day as a protest organized under pressure from Rabbi Sorotzkin, according to Kikar HaShabbat. The letter also calls for the yeshiva to publicly apologize to the hostages and their families and to commit not to use the campaign’s materials in the future.