Dr. David Silvera has been involved in the movement to introduce and develop mediation as an alternative form of dispute resolution in Israel since 1998.  In 1986, he established Silpar (Israel) Ltd., which provided consulting services to businesses in Israel and the United Kingdom. The firm began functioning as a center for dispute resolution and training in 1998, and earned the recognition of the Advisory Council on Mediation to the Israeli judicial system in May 2001.

 
Additionally, Dr. Silvera is academic director of "Pathways" ("Drachim"): The School for Conflict Resolution, a subsidiary of Silpar (Israel) Ltd.
 
In 1991 he was appointed as public appointee (Lay Judge) on the Greater Tel Aviv Labor Court Bench, and in 1998, he began serving as mediator of the same labor court; he held both positions through March 2004. 
 
Dr Silvera, who has worked as a print and broadcast journalist, is currently Editor-in Chief of Sulcha (www.sulcha.co.il), Israel’s mediation portal, which he established in 1999 as a cooperative venture between Silpar (Israel) Ltd. and Olive Interactive Ltd. His activities include writing articles on various aspects of mediation and mediators training.
 
 

Dr. Silvera has lectured at Israel’s Open University since 1989, in the department of Political Science, Sociology and Communications, and currently serves as a lecturer assisting students in seminar research on: “Leadership and its Applications in Education, and train mediators for the Israeli courts at the Ben Gurion University in Beer –Sheva”.
 
As a veteran activist in social organizations, Dr. Silvera has endeavored to address the issue of intercultural tension in Israel, and to minimize ethnic polarization in Israeli society. He was also involved in research and study of the "apartheid" in South Africa in comparison to Rhodesia, and the question of the "gust arbiters" in Germany.
 
Dr. Silvera authored Crossroads East and West ("Zomet Mizrah-Ma’arav"), an anthology of broadcasts culled from his five-year tenure as radio broadcaster for The Voice of Israel ("Kol Israel").  The book, which was published by Zmora Bitan in 1989, focuses on intercultural mediation and dialogue. In his introduction to the book, Professor Andre Chouraqui noted, “[Crossroads East and West] makes a singular and unifying contribution to culture in Israel”.
 
Dr. Silvera was the chairman of the Israeli Chamber of Mediators from 2005 to 2011.
Currently, he serves as Deputy President of the Israel Association for Adult Education (IAEA) affiliated to the European Association for Adult Education (EAEA).
He is one of the founders of the Israeli Branch of the International Association for Multy track Diplomacy, (IMTD) Based in the USA.