Vivian Silver was a Canadian-Israeli peace activist and advocate for women's rights. Born on February second, nineteen forty-nine, she was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Vivian first visited Israel in nineteen sixty-eight during her junior year of college, studying psychology and English literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She was active in Jewish student leadership, serving as administrator of the Jewish Student Press Service and co-founding the Student Zionist Alliance on her campus.
In nineteen seventy-three, Vivian co-organized the first National Conference of Jewish Women. The following year, she immigrated to Israel and joined Kibbutz Gezer, where she later served as kibbutz secretary and community chairperson — a rare role for a woman. Her early activism focused on promoting gender equality in Israeli society, founding the United Kibbutz Movement’s Department to Advance Gender Equality in nineteen eighty-one. Vivian also worked with the Knesset on women’s economic issues and was involved with the New Israel Fund and Shatil.
In nineteen ninety, Vivian moved with her husband and two sons to Kibbutz Be’eri, near the Gaza border. There she built strong connections with local Bedouin communities and residents of Gaza. As executive director of the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development starting in nineteen ninety-eight, she championed programs supporting Gazans, including job training and fair labor practices.
Vivian co-founded the Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation in nineteen ninety-nine with Amal Elsana Alh’jooj, leading joint projects in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. In two thousand ten, they were awarded the Victor J. Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East for their work. Vivian was known for creating cross-cultural initiatives, including business collaborations between Israeli and Palestinian artisans.
Her activism extended to human rights organizations like B’Tselem and the Alliance for Middle East Peace. She also organized tours near the Gaza border to raise awareness about the challenges faced by Gaza residents. Though she retired officially in two thousand fourteen, Vivian remained deeply involved in peace efforts. After the two thousand fourteen Gaza War, she co-founded Women Wage Peace, a grassroots interfaith movement. She also volunteered with Road to Recovery and Project Rozana, helping transport Gazan patients for medical care.
On October fourth, two thousand twenty-three, Vivian helped organize a peace rally in Jerusalem that brought together fifteen hundred Israeli and Palestinian women. Three days later, on October seventh, she was believed to have been abducted from her home in Be’eri by Hamas terrorists. Five weeks later, her remains were identified among the victims of the massacre. Her funeral took place at Kibbutz Gezer, and she was laid to rest in a private ceremony at Kibbutz Be’eri.
Vivian is survived by her two sons and four grandchildren. Her life remains a symbol of courage, activism, and unwavering commitment to peace.
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