Regina
Directed by Diana Groo
Documentary
UK, Hungary
Released: 2014
English
67 minutes
Featuring Rachel Weisz as the voice of Regina
Diana Groós’s poetic documentary tells the story of Regina Jonas (1902-1944), a strong woman who made history by becoming the first properly ordained woman rabbi in the world. The daughter of an Orthodox Jewish peddler, Jonas grew up in Berlin’s Scheunenviertel, studied at the liberal Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums (College for the Scientific Study of Judaism) beginning in 1924, and was ordained in 1935. During the Nazi era and the war, her sermons and her unparalleled dedication brought encouragement to the persecuted German Jews. Regina Jonas was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. The only surviving photo of Jonas serves as a leitmotif for the film, showing a determined young woman gazing at the camera with self-confidence.
Winner of the Lia Award
Jerusalem Film Festival 2013
Winner - Grand Prix
Szolnok International Film Festival of Cultural Arts, History and Sciences 2013
Hungarian Film Critics Award 2014