Please join us for a special community Q&A with Ambassador Daniel Shek, Head of Diplomacy at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, and Noam Sagi, son of recently release hostage Ada Sagi.
The conversation will be moderated by Louise Jacobs, former chair of UJIA.
Time is not on the side of the hostages, and their fate is critical to the chances of a successful ceasefire deal. Ambassador Shek is in London to give the extraordinary details of the story behind "Bring Them Home" - their global campaign, their role in reaching a ceasefire deal, their untold ordeals, and how their captivity has affected Israeli society and the global Jewish community.
With a possible ceasefire deal, the Rafah operation, and the lives of the hostages on a knife's edge, this is a critical moment to hear about the hostages families’ fight against despair, and channel hope into the fight to "Bring Them Home."
This event is in partnership with the European Leadership Network. For more information, please contact ELNET UK on uk@elnetwork.eu.
Ambassador Daniel Shek
A veteran of Israel’s diplomatic service, Daniel Shek is the Head of Diplomacy at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel. He has previously held several positions in Israel’s diplomatic service, including as Ambassador to France, Consul General in San Francisco, Director of European Affairs and Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry.
Throughout his career with the foreign ministry, his fields of expertise were Europe and public diplomacy. Since leaving public service, he has served as a Board member of Mitvim (an Israeli foreign policy think tank), a teacher of diplomacy at Tel Aviv University, as a regular commentator for the i24 news channel and as a private consultant. Ambassador Shek sits on the boards of several non-profits, largely in relation to environmental and regional cooperation.
Ambassador Shek was one of several former Israeli diplomats who came together after October 7 to lead the global effort to return the hostages abducted by Hamas.
Noam Sagi
Noam’s 75 year old mother Ada Sagi was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Noam, who previously worked in the tech industry, in psychotherapy and in executive coaching, dedicated the following months of his life to securing her release and using his professional skills to support other families in the hostages forum. Noam will talk about the devastation experienced by his home community at Kibbutz Nir Oz, his experience of October 7th, the work that followed to release his mother from captivity, and his experience behind the scenes working with politicians and the media around the world.
Louise Jacobs
Louise was born in London, England and has had a long and successful career in the non-profit and commercial worlds. Louise began her career in the city of London where she worked with the U.K. government on privatisations, following which she worked in Private Equity. After having had three children, Louise started working in the non-profit world and became Chief Executive of the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
Louise has until recently advised many large U.K. charities such as “Save the Children”, “The Princes Trust” and various others, in helping them develop a strategic direction that aligns with commercial thinking. Recently, Louise re-trained as a Leadership and Executive Coach and works with non-profits, consultancies, startups and professional service organisations.
Louise has always given her time to the U.K. Jewish Community and worked with many of the leading organisations. Until 2024, Louise was Chair of UJIA, the largest organisation in the U.K. that connects the U.K. Jewish Community with Israel, taking thousands of young people on Israel Experiences every year. Louise believes passionately in a strong relationship between Israel and the Diaspora Communities. Louise is a President, Vice Chair & Trustee of the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) and a Board Member of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
