The Hostages and Missing Families Forum accuses Beit Shemesh’s Ateret Shlomo yeshiva of exploiting hostage campaign symbols for political protest, demanding an apology and NIS 400,000 in damages.
A deep public clash erupted Thursday between the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and the Ateret Shlomo yeshiva network in Beit Shemesh, after the Forum accused the yeshiva of “cynical, degrading, and unlawful use” of its campaign symbols during protests against Israel’s draft law.
In a sharply worded legal warning issued by attorney Asa Kling, head of the intellectual property division at Naschitz, Brandes, Amir & Co., the Forum charged that Ateret Shlomo illegally used its copyrighted yellow ribbon, posters, and slogans—the powerful emblems of the national movement to bring home Israel’s hostages from Hamas captivity.
The letter accuses the yeshiva of trademark infringement, deception, and misrepresentation, saying the group “exploited the Forum’s reputation for political and propaganda purposes.”
The Forum is demanding that the yeshiva:
- Cease all use of the hostage campaign’s imagery and materials.
- Issue a public apology to hostage families.
- Sign a written commitment not to repeat the violations.
- Pay NIS 400,000 in compensation.
“We call for the symbols to be returned to their rightful place—as emblems of hope, unity, and the struggle to bring back the hostages held by a cruel enemy, for burial in the land of Israel,” the Forum declared.
The dispute erupted after Ateret Shlomo students held a protest outside Prison 10 against the arrests of draft-dodging yeshiva students. During the rally, participants wore yellow hats and carried yellow balloons—the same visual markers long associated with the Families Forum’s “Bring Them Home” campaign.
The Forum says this imitation “deeply disrespected the memory of hostages and the pain of their families.”
In response, Rabbi Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, head of the Ateret Shlomo network, defended the students’ actions, saying they were not trying to insult but to express solidarity.
“They claim we’re using hostage symbols—but Ariel [Shamai] was uprooted from his home,” Sorotzkin said, referring to a recently arrested student.
“The hostages are ours too. We prayed and studied Torah for their release. We don’t want to hurt anyone, but taking Torah away from us is like removing oxygen from a patient. You’re fighting for power—we’re fighting for the world of Torah.”
The controversy underscores the widening rift in Israeli society: between families still mourning abducted loved ones and ultra-Orthodox factions resisting conscription, both claiming moral ownership of national pain and sacrifice.
For many Israelis, the yellow ribbon remains sacred—a symbol of unity and resilience against Hamas’s barbarism. The idea that it could be repurposed in a protest against the IDF has struck a raw national nerve.
