Winnipeg Jewish community mourns death of Vivian Silver in Israel during Hamas attacks

Members of Winnipeg's Jewish community are grieving the news that a woman previously thought to have been kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas after its surprise assault on Israel last month died in the initial attack on Oct. 7.

The family of Vivian Silver, who was born and raised in Winnipeg, confirmed her death to CBC News on Monday.

"I'm devastated," said Belle Jarniewski, executive director of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada.

"This is a woman who was such an activist for peace, who brought Palestinian women and Jewish Israeli women together in the hope of promoting peace."

Silver moved to Israel in 1973 and had been an active member in a variety of humanitarian groups. 

She was a founding member of a movement called Women Wage Peace, which advocates for an end to Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for women to be involved in the peace process.

Her son, Yonatan Zeigen, told CBC News the 74-year-old's remains had been found earlier at Kibbutz Be'eri, where she lived, but were only identified now, more than five weeks after the attacks.

"We hoped against hope that she was alive, and that seemed to be what people thought," Jarniewski said.

"Of course, every day there are new bodies that are being identified, who were killed that day. And this puts an end to hope for us that she's OK."

More than 200 people were believed to have been captured by Hamas. 

Zeigen told CBC Radio's Day 6 last week that he had spoken to his mother on the phone and through text message the morning of the attack.

While her house had been burned to the ground, a body hadn't been found at that time, leading the family to believe she had been taken hostage.

Jarniewski did not know Silver personally, but said she was well known among the local community.

"I followed her wonderful achievements and of course I know that she had family here in Winnipeg as well, and I can only imagine how this has affected them, and of course her family in Israel, as well."

Silver was also the co-CEO of the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development, which describes itself as an Arab-Jewish organization dedicated to social change, and a former board member for the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem.

Silver also volunteered with Road to Recovery and drove Palestinians to Israeli hospitals from Gaza.

"Vivian was a civilian brutally taken from her home, and now we know, from all of us, forever," said Gustavo Zentner, president of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.

"She was a renowned pacifist who tirelessly advocated for peace and the improvement of the quality of life for Palestinians."

Jarniewski did not know of any plans for a commemoration service for Silver in Winnipeg, but expected something will be planned in response to her death.