Ono Scholar Presses to Give Voice to the Israeli Victims of the October 7th Attacks

Prof. Dana Pugach, director of the Noga Center for Crime Victims at Ono Academic College, noted, in her opinion piece in the Jerusalem Post, that while a debate is occurring in Israel about whether or not existing Israeli law is sufficient to prosecute the Hamas terrorists who committed the October 7th attacks, we must never lose sight of the terrorists’ victims.  Pugach wrote that Israel “must see the victims and consider their needs at every stage and decision.” She continued, “This is not only a legal obligation but also a moral and societal one.”

Pugach critiqued the government for delaying in the exercise of the victims’ rights and termed this  “secondary victimization.” These rights include getting vital information and being given opportunity to participate in criminal proceedings.

As part of her work on this subject, Pugach is a driving force in the Lilach Project (Accessibility to Justice for the Victims of the October 7 Attack), named after Lilach Kipnis – who was massacred along with her husband, Avitar, and another family member.  The Lilach Project was formed in a collaboration between the families of the kidnapped and missing and Ono Academic College, and it includes a central support organization for victims of the attacks and the sexual assault.

To read the entire article, click here: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-781484