When it is said that the terrorist attack by the jihadist group Hamas has hit the Israeli pacifist camp, it is not just a theoretical conclusion. The worst attack in the history of Israel also claimed the lives of activists who dedicated themselves for decades to the fight for a peace agreement and, above all, full coexistence with the Palestinians and specifically with the Gazans.
One of the best known cases is that of Vivian Silver that this Tuesday had a sad outcome. His remains were found and identified in his completely burned home in Kibbutz Beeri near the border with the Gaza Strip. Her family and friends had the “hope” that the Israeli-Canadian was one of the 239 kidnapped by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the attack on October 7 that was truly brutal in her community.
“Her house was completely burned, which explains the difficulty in identifying it and knowing what happened,” says her friend Shifra sadly and emotionally shortly after learning the news that she did not want to receive in recent weeks.
Silver, 74, was one of the most important figures in Women Make Peace. In fact, in 2014 she was one of the founders of this association that combines the feminist cause and peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Silver was known for example for managing and transporting sick Gazans, especially children, from the Erez border checkpoint to hospitals in Israel. “Our hearts are broken. Vivian was a humanist, peace-loving, wise and firm,” react from the organization, mourning her murder. Her son Yonatan Zeigen does not give up on her path. “His death reinforces the aspiration for peace”clarifies to the newspaper Haaretz.
Born in Winnipeg (Canada), Silver moved to Israel in 1974 and was part of several associations in favor of peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on the two-state solution. She also promoted and participated in activities to encourage coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel and, for example, helping the integration of the Bedouins.