Women Wage Peace - We Must End This Madness

And a tribute to Peace Wager ZT"L Vivian Silver

While men are determined to blow one another up - there are women in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza who are working together to wage peace.

Women Wage Peace is a broad, politically unaffiliated movement, which is acting to prevent the next war and to promote a non-violent, respectful, and mutually accepted solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the active participation of women through all stages of negotiations.

In its October 15 newsletter, the group states:

Despite the rage and pain in the face of the criminal and unforgiveable acts committed by Hamas, including incessant shelling of towns all over Israel, we must not lose human dignity. Even in the most difficult situations, it is our obligation as mothers, as women, as human beings and as an entire nation not to lose basic human values.
We hear words of revenge all the time – “all restraints have been removed”, “we will wipe out Gaza”, “we will act brutally”. But one cannot resolve one injustice with another injustice. We grieve the death of innocent Palestinians, among them hundreds of children, who are being killed in this accursed war. The situation in Gaza is getting worse all the time…
Despite the complexity of the issue, we and the Palestinians have no choice but to strive for a resolution of the conflict. The Palestinian people will not disappear, nor will we…
We raise difficult questions and expect answers – ground action, destruction of Gaza, forcing one million Palestinians to flee their homes – will all of this lead to a future of security? And what will happen the day after? Isn’t it essential to deal with the issue of the abductees first? Do our leaders have the answers?…
Last but not least, we will say that even though this is 2023, there are almost no women in decision-making forums in Israel. This is an intolerable situation that must change. We demand that the negotiation team for the release of the abductees include women. It is not possible that only men run the country during this crisis.

This organization reaches far. Vivian Silver, one of WWP founders and dear friend to my friend Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum, was killed in her home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7th.

Vivian was one of the founders of Women Wage Peace and a pivotal member since 2014. She also served as Co-Director in AJEEC – Negev Institute for Peace & Economic Development and was a board member of “Betzelem”. During her free time, she volunteered to drive Palestinian patients and their families from the Gaza strip into Israeli hospitals for treatment. S he was also known for her hospitality and gluten-free multigrain crack er.

Her death has been reported in the AP News, BBC, CBC, NPR, The Economist, New York Times, Time Magazine, Washington Post, The Guardian, all the Israeli papers, and many other news outlets. BHC joins in the deep sorrow of her children and family.

Donna recommends this article (from The Guardian) this article (from Forward) and this statement (from WWP) to get to know the sincerity and passion of her friend Vivian.

In their official statement announcing her death, WWP said: "Vivian, in your wisdom and refined sense of humor, you were our role model and brave leader to peace. (A role model, our pillar of fire.) We will not rest until we achieve the goal to which you dedicated your life’s work . In your life, and in your death, you bequeath us peace."

Without women in the room, what can we realistically hope for?