How murdered peace activist Vivian Silver's sons find purpose through grief

North Star with Ellin Bessner

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For five weeks after Oct. 7, 2023, the two sons of Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver thought she was among the hostages from Kibbutz Be’eri who had been kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas terrorists. But after her house was destroyed that day, and they received no further word about her fate, her sons Chen, an archeologist based in Connecticut, and Yonatan, an Israeli social worker, threw themselves into campaigning for their mother’s release, while also channelling her spirit in advocating for a non-violent solution to the war. In late November 2023, Israeli forensic experts notified Silver’s family that her remains had been identified in the rubble of her burned-out kibbutz neighbourhood. She had been killed on the first day of the attack. Growing up, they had watched their mother’s tireless efforts to build bridges between Jews and Palestinians, while they pursued their own, different lives and career paths. Now, as the two-year anniversary of their mother’s murder approaches, Vivian Silver’s sons are still mourning their mother, but also curating her legacy as “Vivian”, an internationally-renowned political anti-war symbol. On today’s episode of The CJN’s newly-rebranded North Star podcast (formerly The CJN Daily), host Ellin Bessner sits down with Chen and Yonatan Zeigen to explore how having a purpose helps with their grief, rather than seeking vengeance for past trauma.

Related links

Read more about the sons of the late Vivian Silver, fresh from their June 4 Toronto fundraiser/celebration of their mother’s life, in The CJN.
To learn about the Vivian Silver Impact award and to donate.
Hear how Silver’s family and friends gathered in November 2023 in Israel for her private funeral and then for a separate public memorial service, on The CJN Daily.

Credits

Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
Music: Bret Higgins

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