Abie Moses, Chairman of the National Organization of Terror Victims, speaking at the Jerusalem Post online conference, “A Nation in Trauma,” recalled the trauma of a terror attack near Alfei Menashe on April 11, 1987, in which his wife and son were killed, and he and his two surviving children all suffered severe burns. “After being discharged from the hospital,” he said, “I founded the organization.”
The National Organization Victims of Terror is the official representative organization which supports thousands of family members, widows, orphans and disabled people who are recognized by the State of Israel as terror victims.
After October 7, 2023, he said, the number of terror victims in Israel jumped from 9,000 to 70,000. Since the beginning of the war, the National Organization Victims of Terror has expanded its efforts to help terror victims. “We started by helping widows, providing them with additional funds, individual support, and arranging for more treatment of post-trauma for children.” Moses compared the danger of post-trauma to a volcanic eruption.”I was there. I know what post-trauma is like.”
He said it is essential that those suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) receive assistance. Otherwise, he warned, the suicide rate will climb.
The National Organization Victims of Terror is fully committed to assisting terror victims in realizing their legal and socioeconomic rights, and has a range of programs that provide emotional support. The organization helps terror victims through the program You Are Not Alone, feel that they are indeed not alone in what they are experiencing, and offers a variety of group emotional support activities to help them, including surfing, horseback riding, ceramics, and painting.
Those who have survived traumatic attacks, such as what occurred at the Nova festival, he said, must get help. “Your heart is burned, and your soul is burned. You have to talk about it.”
Many orphaned adults over the age of 21 who have lost their parents to terror attacks, as well as adults who have lost siblings to terrorism, are not receiving governmental assistance, he noted. Moses said that he is working with the Knesset to update laws that will extend support to adults who have fallen through the cracks of the system.
Written in collaboration with The National Organization Victims of Terror