Sr. Naomi Zimmerman at Mass at the Tomb of Christ.
Sister Naomi Zimmermann, FSE, is a woman whose calling has brought her to many places with the objective of providing missionary services to others. Of all her work, the longest time spent has been in the Holy Land, a beautiful and historic area that many people wish to visit but some choose to avoid due to the many conflicts that have occurred. Instead, Sr. Naomi has returned time and time again to work with those in need.
Sr. Naomi grew up in Southington, Connecticut, a town that neighbors the Meriden motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. After receiving a degree in education, she entered the postulancy in September 1988. Working for several years as a teacher in both Oregon and Minnesota, she then returned to Connecticut and became a student at Holy Apostles, earning a Master of Arts in Moral Theology in 1996. Sr. Naomi explained, “It was a valuable time for me because I was already a teacher but had grown up in the public school system. I remember thinking that I needed to know more theology to integrate it into my work as a teacher.”
Working with the children in the Holy Child Program, a unique educational and psychological treatment center in the Bethlehem area.
Her first trip to the Holy Land took place in 1996, shortly after graduating from Holy Apostles. She worked at The Holy Child Program, a unique educational and psychological treatment center in the Bethlehem area, and found the experience wonderful preparation for entering her final vows.
Returning to the motherhouse in 1997 to take her final vows, Sr. Naomi remained in the U.S. for two years. In August 2000, she returned to the Holy Land to continue at the Holy Child Program, this time as deputy director and educational consultant.
Because of her love of both the Holy Land and the people within the Palestinian society, which is where the Holy Child Project was located, acclimating to life in this land was not as hard as one would think. She was very involved in the daily lives of the Palestinian people and the Arab-speaking Church. In September 2000, however, the second Intifada started an intense time that lasted until February 2005. In the midst of that came the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and the fighting in the Middle East that followed, bringing increased tension and security issues.
In 2006, when the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist decided to start a center in Jamaica, Sr. Naomi worked there for four years. In 2011, she returned to Jerusalem but gained a completely different perspective working in the Old City Jerusalem with the Franciscan Custody, while also consulting for the Holy Child Program.
Sr. Naomi looking out on the Old City Jerusalem.
In 2017, the sisters moved closer to the heart of Jerusalem, to the compound of the Capuchin Friars, which is in the heart of a Jewish neighborhood. Her work, first in the Secretariate of the Custody, and now in the Christian Information Center has enabled her to build relationships with more Israeli people, allowing for a fuller understanding of the people and land where she has lived for so long. As she said, “Both the Palestinians and the Israelis are diverse people with ancient histories and immense talents.”
Language continues to be difficult for her to master. She has learned some Arabic for basic communication, Hebrew, and basic Italian, but joked, “I provide entertainment when I attempt to speak Arabic and Italian comes out.” Simple sentences usually work, and phone translators have proven to be amazing tools.
The war that began on October 7, 2023, has reignited the divisions and suffering between Palestinians and Jews. Living in Jerusalem, Sr. Naomi explained,
“Most of the time we can forget that there is a war around us. But it is eerily quiet, people are tense, things are extremely expensive. Every once in a while, a rocket is sent this way, and we have sirens. And your heart rate spikes, and you go to your protected area until you get the signal that you can go out again. And you pray for the people who have experienced this 10 times a day for months, and who have left their homes. And you pray for those who took no part in what happened in Gaza on October 7 but are suffering the consequences.”
The sisters, Sr. Naomi and Sr. Maria David – also a graduate of Holy Apostles – stayed because they felt that they were not in danger, but also because they want to be hope for the Christian communities, who feel they are caught between other people’s conflicts.
Sr. Naomi’s experiences have given her a new perspective on what being a missionary means. “It is about the people we serve and what they need at a particular moment, not what we have to offer them.” She feels that this 2025 Jubilee Year of peace and hope will offer strength to the Christian communities in the Holy Land.