Susie was born as Sultana (aka Malka) Canetti in Turkey on 15 December 1928. Her family are well known Sephardim. The writer Elias Canetti was a distant relative. She was fluent in Turkish, Ladino and French (she went to Alliance school in Turkey) as well as in Hebrew and English.
She reached Palestine during the second world war in Aliyat Hannoar (Youth Immigration). Spent some time in Kibbutz Ma’abarot and was later member of Kibbutz Gvulot.
Among other things, when still a Zionist, she spent time in Morocco, in organising aliyah (Emigration of Jews to Palestine).
She reached the left via the left-zionist party MAPAM.
She studied sociology in England, and eventually was a senior lecturer in Reading University.
She joined Matzpen sympathisers here in London in the early 1970.
Moshé Machover
[An article by Susie, “The Identity of an Oriental Jew“, was published in ISRACA no. 5, January 1973.]