[7] At times, she received pushback from within the kibbutz for her refusal to adhere to gender norms and her choice to take on traditionally male work, such as overseeing construction,.
[3] In 1999, Silver and Amal Elsana Alh'jooj co-founded the Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation, an off-shoot of NISPED.
[12] As part of this work, she helped organize and lead tours of the Israeli side of the Israeli–Gaza border, as a way to raise awareness about the struggles of Gaza residents.
[9][10] Silver also began volunteering with Road to Recovery and Project Rozana to transport Gazan patients who were traveling to Jerusalem for treatment.
[13][14] On October 7, 2023, Irwin Cotler reported on Twitter that Silver had been abducted from her home in Be'eri during the Hamas attacks which incited the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.
[13] Her home was found burned and gutted when Israeli responders arrived,[16] but because there was no body or signs of struggle, Silver was assumed to have been abducted.
[2][17] Following the announcement of Silver's death, tributes to her were shared by B'Tselem, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, and Women Wage Peace.
[19][20] On November 14, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also recognized Silver's death at an event, saying that she would "be deeply missed".
[25] In August 2024, a community kitchen in the Zomi displaced persons camp in the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza was named after Silver following the approval of one of her sons.
The prize will be awarded annually to two women, Arab and Jewish, who show great promise or have demonstrated significant accomplishments in one of the areas that embody Vivian's values and actions.