1967. The beginning of the Six-Day War in Israel. Yehuda and Ruth were recent graduates of Hebrew University of Jerusalem and newlyweds. Yehuda had to join the compulsory service ranks of the Israel Defense Forces (in the medical corps). He was sent to the Jerusalem frontline - to the Old City - where he responded to an ‘incident’ at the Convent of the Sisters of Zion on the Via Dolorosa in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. He met a Catholic nun at the convent who asked him to please check on her nephew. Her name was Regine Canetti.
Sister Regine, who came from a Jewish Bulgarian family and had converted to Catholicism, later joined the Church after the care and support she received from the nuns during the Second World War. Yehuda was also a war victim, born in Bulgaria, and subject to Fascist law. Their mutual backgrounds contributed to the fast friendship they developed.
They lost contact over the years, but 30 years later in 1997, Sister Regine was a guest on a tv program about the Six-Day War and requested on air that the young military physician she met at the convent in 1967 contact her. A reunion ensued and permission to write her story in a first person narrative resulted.
SISTER OF ZION by Ruth Danon and published by Gefen Publishing is that ‘story’. It is a beautifully written book and I felt that Sister Regine’s voice emanated from every page.
The book begins with a Preface: The Encounter — which tells of the early days of the Six-Day War in 1967 and Yehuda’s meeting with Sister Regine at the convent.
Chapter 1: Childhood — Chapter 2: Leaving Bulgaria — Chapter 3: Palestine-Eretz Israel.
These 3 chapters tell of Regine’s early childhood and family life; the tragic leaving of Bulgaria and arrival in Israel.
Chapter 4: In the Ecce Homo Convent of the Sisters of Zion — tells of Regine’s decision to convert to Catholicism and join the convent.
Chapter 5: The Congregation of the Sisters of Zion — tells of the history of the order. *A fascinating chapter.
Chapter 6: My Journeys — relates the travels and teaching experiences of Sister Regine.
Chapter 7: Back to Jerusalem — relates Sister Regine’s return to Jerusalem.
Chapter 8: The Second Vatican Council — This chapter (for me) was an extremely interesting and informative chapter. Being a Catholic, I am expected to know all this history, but I don’t, and I learned a great deal about my own faith.
Chapter 9: The Convents of the Sisters of Zion in the Holy Land. Another fascinating chapter which told the history of the Convents of the Sisters of Zion in the Holy Land. Archeologists believe that the Ecce Homo ruins are likely from the 2nd century at the time of the Emperor Hadrian.
Chapter 10: My Converted Brothers. This chapter relates the experiences of several people who converted to Catholicism “with full awareness and free will, who entered the Church as adults under the influence of teachers, friends, an enlightenment, or a tragic event.”
Chapter 11: A Visit in London Garden
Reflections of Regine
Afterword: The Power of Destiny The afterword opens with a quote from Marcus Aurelius — “Accept whatever comes to you woven in the pattern of your destiny, for what could more aptly fit your needs?” Regine Canetti was born in 1921 (95 years ago) to a secular Jewish family in Bulgaria. War, expulsion and family loss brought her to the Sisters of Zion Convent as a nun. “Did she abandon her Jewish roots?” The reader should judge by her own words.”
Notes and photographs complete the organization of the book.
A fascinating read. One which taught me so much about my own faith and led to musings about the concepts of cultural heritage, faith and destiny. Please read this book, SISTER OF ZION, whatever your faith or cultural background.
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