Sunday 22nd March • 4pm 

At a moment of deep crisis in the Middle East, and particularly in the month of International Women’s Day, we are reminded of the vital role of women in building dialogue, equality and a peaceful future.

Join us for the Vivian Silver Awards, an afternoon recognising the people and organisations carrying forward Vivian Silver’s legacy: championing Arab–Jewish equality, building peace, and advancing Palestinian and Israeli women’s leadership.

Vivian Silver demonstrated that even in these darkest moments, it is essential to defend democracy, dignity and coexistence. This event brings together those who refuse to give up on the vision of a just and peaceful future.

We are honoured to be hosted by Christiane Amanpour, the acclaimed British-Iranian journalist and Chief International Anchor for CNN, who interviewed our previous award-winners, and whose reporting has helped the world understand conflicts like the one unfolding today.

The afternoon will recognise the remarkable achievements of this year’s honourees and, in light of the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, will also include reflections on the current moment and the role of civil society during times of war.

Funds raised from the event will support the AJEEC House in the Negev – named the Vivian Silver Centre for Shared Society – which embodies a transformative vision for Arab-Israeli youth’s employment and social integration.

Doors open at 4 pm, with the panel discussion beginning at 4.30 pm. This will be followed by an informal drinks reception & light bites between 6-7:30 pm. The Vivian Silver Awards will be held in Central London (a couple of minutes’ walk from Covent Garden station).

Please note that due to the current situation, our speakers are subject to change, and some may be joining us online.

Prof. Yofi Tirosh is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University and a leading Israeli activist for civil rights and gender equality. Her work sits at the intersection of legal scholarship, public policy and grassroots activism, with a particular focus on anti-discrimination law, feminist jurisprudence and the struggle against gender segregation in public life.

Yofi has played a key role in shaping public debate and legal action around equality in Israel, working closely with civil society organisations, policymakers and the courts. A former clerk at the Israeli Supreme Court, she holds degrees from Tel Aviv University and the University of Michigan. Her work has earned wide recognition for its impact on law, society and democratic values.

Attorney Quamar Mishirqi-Assad is a Palestinian-Israeli human rights lawyer and activist devoted to defending land rights and civil liberties for Palestinians in the West Bank and beyond. A Doctor of Law and co-director of Haqel: In Defence of Human Rights, Quamar leads strategic legal work challenging settler violence, unjust home demolitions and discriminatory land expropriations under occupation.

Before founding Haqel in 2016, she served as director of the legal department at Rabbis for Human Rights and has since become a trusted legal voice for communities facing displacement. Through relentless litigation, advocacy and grassroots collaboration, Quamar’s work has helped entire villages resist forced removal and reclaim access to their lands.

Christiane Amanpour is CNN’s chief international anchor of the network’s award-winning, flagship global affairs program “Amanpour,” which also airs on PBS in the United States. She is also the host of “The Amanpour Hour,” a Saturday show consisting of forensic interviews with the news makers, game changers and cultural icons shaping our world.

Recently, she has started a new podcast, The Ex-Files, with her Ex – husband Jamie Rubin. They discuss global affairs from their perspectives as government officials and journalists, and hopefully, model the ability to talk about even the most divisive issues in our world, while divorced!

Her illustrious career in journalism spans more than four decades, beginning at CNN in 1983.  Amanpour rose through the organisation, becoming the network’s leading international correspondent, reporting on international crises and interviewing most of the top world leaders. She has received every major broadcast award, including sixteen News and Documentary Emmys, four Peabody Awards, three George Polk Awards, three duPont-Columbia Awards, the Courage in Journalism Award, the Columbia Journalism Award and ten honorary degrees.

She was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame, the Broadcast & Cable Hall of Fame and the Atlanta Press Club’s Hall of Fame.  She is a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and an honorary citizen of Sarajevo.  Amanpour is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

Sharone Lifschitz is a British-Israeli filmmaker, artist and academic based in London. Since 7 October, she has become a leading public voice advocating for the release of her parents, Oded and Yocheved Lifshitz, who were taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz, as well as for all those still held in Gaza.

Through extensive media work and public speaking, she has brought international attention to the human impact of the hostage crisis. Drawing on her personal experience, she speaks powerfully about the urgency of securing the hostages’ release, while also calling for empathy, dialogue and the protection of civilian lives.

Alongside her advocacy, Lifschitz has an established multidisciplinary practice spanning film, photography and text, and is a senior lecturer at the University of East London.

Shira Ben-Sasson Furstenberg is the Acting CEO of the New Israel Fund in Israel. She previously served as NIF Chief of Staff and spent ten years working as a grants and programme officer at NIF and Shatil. She was the director of the Jewish Pluralism Watch (Mishmar Haknesset), which monitors policy regarding religious freedom, and worked at the Knesset’s Research and Information Centre focusing on education and culture. Born and raised in a liberal Orthodox family in Jerusalem, Shira was an officer in the IDF and received her BA and MA in cultural anthropology from the Hebrew University.

Yonatan Zeigen is an Israeli peace activist. He has rededicated himself to peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians after losing his mother, peace activist Vivian Silver, in the October 7 attack and being heartbroken over the war in Gaza. Zeigen is also a social worker and trained mediator. A father of three based in Tel-Aviv Jaffa, he grew up in Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel. Zeigen holds a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s degree in clinical social work. Read Yonatan’s words about his mother here.

About Vivian Silver

Vivian was a universally admired Israeli peace activist who advocated for Palestinian rights.

In the course of her 50+ years of activism and leadership, she worked with the New Israel Fund, B’tselem, and many other organisations to nurture civil society, advocate for human rights, end the Occupation, and achieve a negotiated peace agreement.

In 2000, Vivian and Amal Elsana Alh’jooj established AJEEC—NISPED, the Arab-Jewish Centre for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation. Their partnership was embedded in the shared vision of a world in which Bedouin and Jewish women could cultivate genuine connection.

Over her final decades, she brought her leadership to and stood with Women Wage Peace, the interfaith grassroots organisation created by Arab and Jewish Israeli women.

She was murdered by Hamas during the massacre of her kibbutz, Be’eri, on 7 October 2023.