Moshe Silman

Who was Moshe Silman?

Moshe Silman was an Israeli social activist who self-immolated on July 14, 2012, at a street protest in Tel Aviv. He died on July 20, 2012, from the second and third degree burns he sustained from the act. He was 57.

The son of Holocaust survivors, Silman had once run his own messenger service, but the business struggled after the second intifada. A small debt from the National Insurance Institute spiraled out of control, and his applications for public housing were repeatedly rejected. He later suffered a stroke and was declared disabled.

Silman never married or had children.

Friends said he was on the brink of homelessness when he arrived at the Tel Aviv protest Saturday night with gasoline and a suicide note.