Vivian Silver

Vivian Silver
Born	(1949-02-02)February 2, 1949 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died	October 7, 2023(2023-10-07) (aged 74) Be'eri, Israel
Cause of death	Be'eri massacre
Burial place	Be'eri
Citizenship	Canada Israel
Employer	Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (1998–2014)
Organization	Women Wage Peace
Known for	Peace activism
Children	2

Vivian Silver (Hebrew: ויויאן סילבר; February 2, 1949 – October 7, 2023) was a Canadian-Israeli peace activist and women's rights activist.^[1] She was murdered in the Be'eri massacre, a part of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.^[2]

Early life and education

Silver was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.^[3]

Silver first visited Israel in 1968, during her junior year of college.^[4] She studied abroad at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she studied psychology and English literature.^[4] Silver was also heavily involved in the North American Jewish Students Network, where she was the administrator of the Jewish Student Press Service beginning in 1972.^[1][5] In this capacity, Silver began publishing articles about Israeli–Palestinian relations.^[1] In her senior year of college, Silver co-founded the Student Zionist Alliance on her campus and was subsequently invited to the Student Zionist Alliance national conference in Montreal that year.^[4]

In 1973, Silver and Shifra Bronznick organized the first National Conference of Jewish Women.^[1]

Activism

Silver immigrated to Israel in 1974 and became a member of kibbutz Gezer as part of the Habonim Dror movement.^[1][3][6] At Gezer, she became the kibbutz's secretary, one of the few women to do so;^[6] later, she became chairperson of the community.^[7] At times, she received pushback from within the kibbutz for her refusal to adhere to gender norms and her choice to take on traditionally male work, such as overseeing construction,.^[5] Silver's early activism focused on women's rights and gender disparities in Israeli society.^[6] To this end, she founded the United Kibbutz Movement's Department to Advance Gender Equality in 1981.^[4][6][7] She also worked within the Knesset on the sub-committee for the Advancement of Women in Work and the Economy,^[6] for the New Israel Fund, and on the Steering Committee of Shatil.^[4]

She moved to Be'eri, a kibbutz near the Gaza border, in 1990, along with her husband and two sons.^[1][3] During this time, she became better acquainted with the local Bedouin community and Gazans. She served as executive director for the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (NISPED) beginning in 1998.^[3][8] Silver worked within the kibbutz to organize programs to help Gazans, such as job trainings, and ensured that Gazan construction workers at the kibbutz were paid fairly.^[3]

In 1999, Silver and Amal Elsana Alh'jooj co-founded the Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation, an off-shoot of NISPED.^[1] Silver served as the center's director prior to the second intifada.^[9][10][8] The center organized projects in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.^[9][10] In 2010, Silver and Alh'jooj received the Victor J. Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East, an annual prize given by the Institute of International Education to pairs of Arab and Israeli activists working towards peace.^[6]

Before the closure of the Gaza border in 2007, Silver worked with Gazan residents in cross-cultural projects.^[1][11] One group she founded, Creating Peace, focused on fostering business connections between Palestinian and Israeli artisans.^[1]

Silver was a former board member of B'Tselem, a Jerusalem-based human rights organization.^[8] She was also involved with Alliance for Middle East Peace, as well as a number of their member organizations.^[12] As part of this work, she helped organize and lead tours of the Israeli side of the Israeli–Gaza border, as a way to raise awareness about the struggles of Gaza residents.^[12]

Silver officially retired in 2014.^[1] Following her retirement, and the 2014 Gaza War, Silver co-founded Women Wage Peace, an interfaith grassroots organization.^[9][10] Silver also began volunteering with Road to Recovery and Project Rozana to transport Gazan patients who were traveling to Jerusalem for treatment.^[1][3][11]

On October 4, 2023, Silver helped to organize a peace rally in Jerusalem, which attracted 1,500 Israeli and Palestinian women.^[13][14]

Disappearance and death

On October 7, 2023, Irwin Cotler reported on Twitter that Silver had been abducted from her home in Be'eri during the Hamas attacks which incited the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.^[8][10][15] Silver's sister said that when she spoke to her sister on the phone on October 7, Silver reported hearing Hamas militants outside her home.^[3][14] Silver also messaged friends on WhatsApp with a similar message.^[13] Her home was found burned and gutted when Israeli responders arrived,^[16] but because there was no body or signs of struggle, Silver was assumed to have been abducted.^[2]

Silver's family and friends created a Facebook page "Missing Vivian Silver" to try to collect more information about her possible wherabouts^[1] and asked the Red Cross and the Canadian government for assistance in finding Silver and securing her release.^[1]

Silver's remains, which had been found in Be'eri, were identified five weeks after the attack, and she was confirmed dead on November 13, 2023.^[2][17]

Following the announcement of Silver's death, tributes to her were shared by B'Tselem, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, and Women Wage Peace.^[18][19] Online tributes to Silver were also posted by Canadian politician and human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler, Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly, Canadian ambassador to Israel Lisa Stadelbauer, and Israeli politician Tzipi Livni.^[19][20] On November 14, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also recognized Silver's death at an event, saying that she would "be deeply missed".^[21]

Silver's funeral was held at the kibbutz of Gezer, where she had lived from 1974 until 1990, on November 16.^[7][22] Approximately 1,500 people attended her funeral.^[7][22][23] She was buried in Be'eri at a private service.^[24]

Recognition and legacy

In 2011, Haaretz named Silver as one of the "10 Most Influential Anglo Immigrants" to Israel.^[25]

In August 2024, a community kitchen in the Zomi displaced persons camp in the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza was named after Silver following the approval of one of her sons. The camp was established by Damour for Community Development, Clean Shelter, the Wonderbag Foundation, and UNICEF.^[26]

Her son Yonaton Zeigen has set up a Vivian Silver Impact Award. The prize will be awarded annually to two women, Arab and Jewish, who show great promise or have demonstrated significant accomplishments in one of the areas that embody Vivian’s values and actions.^[27]

Personal life

Silver was Jewish.^[15] She was married to Lewis Zeigen^[28] and had two sons and four grandchildren.^[1][3][4]

References

1. Lin-Sommer, Sam (October 11, 2023). "This 74-year-old peace activist, grandmother, and friend is feared abducted by Hamas". The Forward. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
2. "Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver, feared to be held hostage, confirmed killed in Hamas attacks". CBC News. November 13, 2023. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
3. Sarick, Lila (October 9, 2023). "Vivian Silver, a Canadian who dedicated her life to peace, is feared kidnapped by Hamas terrorists". The Canadian Jewish News. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
4. "Vivian Silver – a Woman Waging Peace". Women Wage Peace. August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
5. Axelrod, Gila (November 22, 2023). "From Campus to Kibbutz: Vivian Silver's legacy as a Jewish student leader". New Voices. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
6. Gingold, Barbara (September 28, 2011). "Vivian Silver: An Anglo in Israel". Lilith Magazine. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
7. Burston, Bradley (November 16, 2023). "For Vivian Silver, whom we failed — remembering a lighthouse of a human being". The Forward. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
8. Masarwa, Lubna (October 9, 2023). "Prominent Israeli peace and human rights activist missing after Palestinian attack". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
9. Norlian, Allison (November 24, 2021). "Living on the Border of Gaza and Israel: How an Israeli Woman Fights for Peace". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
10. Kampeas, Ron (October 9, 2023). "A peace activist, a soldier, a son: Americans missing, wounded, dead in Hamas attack". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
11. Harvey, Adam (October 11, 2023). "Volunteer for sick Palestinian children believed to be among Hamas' hostages". ABC News. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
12. Pagliaro, Jennifer (November 13, 2023). "Canadian Israeli peace activist, who was believed to be kidnapped, now confirmed dead: consulate". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
13. Cymerman, Henrique (October 9, 2023). ""I Hope My Mother is Kidnapped in Gaza"". Agenda Publica El Pais. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
14. Goldberg, Emma (September 30, 2024). "His Mother Was Killed by Hamas. Her Death Transformed His Life". The New York Times.
15. Searle, Tyler (October 8, 2023). "Winnipeg woman reportedly held hostage by Hamas". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
16. Bowen, Jeremy (October 13, 2023). "Missing peace activist Vivian Silver – son awaits news, good or bad". BBC News. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
17. Sieff, Kevin; Vinall, Frances; and Parker, Nick (November 13, 2023). "Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver was killed in Hamas attack, son says". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
18. Masarwa, Lubna (November 14, 2023). "Israelis and Palestinians pay tribute to peace activist Vivian Silver killed in kibbutz attack". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
19. Sharma, Shweta (November 14, 2023). "Israel peace activist who advocated for Palestinian rights confirmed dead". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
20. Woods, Allan Woods (November 14, 2023). "'A mighty legacy of peace building': Tributes are pouring in for Canadian-Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
21. "'She will be deeply missed': Trudeau responds to death of Canadian-Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver". Global News. November 14, 2023. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
22. Dayan, Linda (November 16, 2023). "Thousands Attend Funeral of Slain Canadian-Israeli Peace Activist Vivian Silver". Haaretz. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
23. "'Hamas did not murder your vision': Fellow peace activists eulogize Vivian Silver". Times of Israel.
24. Winsa, Patty (November 16, 2023). "Canadian-Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver recalled as a role model at funeral". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
25. Sheen, David; Ahren, Raphael (September 28, 2011). "The Year's 10 Most Influential Anglo Immigrants". Haaretz. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
26. Surkes, Sue (August 8, 2024). "Israeli peace activist murdered by Hamas is memorialized in Gaza evacuee camp". The Times of Israel.
27. Zeigen, Yonaton (October 7, 2024). "A year ago my mother was murdered at her kibbutz. Out of horror must come peace". The Guardian. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
28. Tessler, Gloria (November 30, 2023). "Obituary: Vivian Silver". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved October 7, 2024.