Vivian Silver, activist killed in Hamas attack, remembered as peacemaker at Winnipeg memorial
'I was always very proud of the way she never gave up. She was relentless,' says son Yonatan Zeigen
Hundreds of people gathered in Winnipeg Thursday night to pay their respects andhonour the life of Israeli-Canadian peace activistVivian Silver, who was killed when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Silver, 74, was remembered as atireless advocate for peace, abridge-builder, and a women's rights advocate. She was bornin Winnipeg and moved toIsrael in 1974, where she devoted her life to peace work.
"She was fierce for what she believed in, in any setting and in front of anybody," her son Yonatan Zeigentold CBC ahead of Thursday's memorial.
"She had this duality to her, thatshe was small and alsoseemed fragile and sensitive and soft, butshe was also very assertive, and she had a really strong centreand even stubbornness."
He and his brother, Chen Zeigen,arrived in Winnipeg from Israel earlier this week forthe memorial.
"I was always very proud of the way she never gave up," said Yonatan. "She was relentless."
For more than a month, family and friends believed Silver was among the 240 hostages takenby Hamasafter the militant group's Oct. 7 assault.
Her remains had been found shortly after the attack at Kibbutz Be'eri, in the south of Israel, where she lived, but weren't identified until weeks later.
While a previous memorial was heldin Israel, her sons said the Winnipeg memorial organized by theJewish Federation of Winnipeg and held at thegymnasium at the AsperJewish Community Campus was important.
"This was sort of her home our home away from home. We would spend summers here," Yonatan said.
"It was very important for us to have the chance to come be with our family here,where she grew up, where she spent her formative years."
Chen saidno matter what his mother was doing to help others, family was always important to her.
"We'll keep remembering her for the person she was, in all of herpolitical activities and achievements. They were part of it. But to me they were kind of secondary," Chen said.
"She would march for her causes at noon and tuck us into bed at night," he said. "She would orchestrate international peace rallies during the week and bake elaborate cakes for her grandchildren'sbirthdays."
Silver's older sister, Rochelle Gamliel, still lives in Winnipeg.
The last few weeks have been "hell. Devastating. Very, very difficult," for the family, she said.
Gamliel broke down in tears as she saw a smiling photograph of her sister after walkinginto the building Thursday evening.
For weeks, the family held out hopeshe would be found alive.
"Once we found out there was no hope it was very, very difficult to grasp," Gamliel said.
"It's too surreal for us. We can't comprehend this."
Gamliel said the family has receivedletters and emails from people all over the world since her sister's death.She didn't realize how much of an impact Silver had on so many people.
"Children who had no idea who she was are writing and saying that they want to be like her," Gamliel said. "It's really impactful."
Would be 'heartbroken'over war: son
Silver, whosehome in Israel was walking distance from Gaza, was working to foster a shared society and coexistence for Jews and Arabs in southern Israel, her family said.
"I think she would have been heartbroken seeing so much pain and destruction," said Yonatan. "The continuation of this pain since [Oct. 7] and no end in sight."
Chen said she would want both sides to find a peaceful solution.
"Our mom believedthat violence only brings more violence, and we're really seeing the worst of it now," he said.
"She would want this to be a turning pointtowards an understanding on both sides. All our energy needs to beinvested in finding a way to seek common grounds."
Silver was one of the founders of Women Wage Peace, a coalition of Jewish and Arab women seeking a negotiated peacein Israel.
She would also often drive Palestinian children to hospitals in Israel to get life-saving care.
She leaves a legacy of promoting a shared society between Israelis and Palestinians, her family said.
"I think what she can represent is that the future of Zionism andthe ability for the Jewish people to live in Israel with security and peace lieswithin the understandingthere needs to be coexistence side by side with the Palestinian people," said Chen.
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