Hannah Senesh

Hannah Senesh was a paratrooper who trained to rescue fellow Jews during the Holocaust. She knew that she was at risk of being captured and killed, though she bravely went forward to help others. Her life did end short when Senesh was captured by the Nazis and taken to Auschwitz. She will always be remembered as a heroine.

Let's go back to the beginning of Hannah's life. Hannah was born on July 17, 1921 in Budapest, Hungary. As a daughter of a journalist and an author, Hannah had literary skills herself. She kept a diary from age 13 until almost the last day of her life.

During her high school years, antisemitism increased in her home country. This led her to becoming involved with Zionist activities, including a youth group and learning Hebrew for her immigration to Palestine.

She left Hungary for Palestine in 1939. She studied at the agricultural school in Nahalal. Later, she lived at Kibbutz Sdot Yam in Caesarea where she wrote poetry, as well as a play.

In 1943, the Jewish Agency approached her to join a secret military mission. She volunteered to be parachuted into Europe. The purpose of parachuting soldiers into Europe was to get the Allied forces to reach the partisan resistance fighters to aid Jewish communities.

Hannah's goal was to reach the town where she was born--Budapest, Hungary. She parachuted into Yugoslavia in March of 1944. Their mission there was to assist anti-Nazi forces in Yugoslavia and then enter Hungary. Her idealism was recorded in her poem that she wrote during her time there.

Then on June 7, 1944, at the height of the deportation of Hungarian Jews, Hannah crossed the border and entered into Hungary. She was caught pretty soon after she entered by Hungarian police, and she was tortured cruelly again and again for several months.

Hannah stayed strong and refused to reveal any information that she knew about the Allies. At her trial, she simply defended herself, without revealing anything about her mission. When she was executed on November 7, 1944, she died at the hands of a firing squad. She refused a blindfold, and she stared right into the eyes of her executors.

Hannah Senesh was a brave, courageous, kind and strong woman. She stood up for what she believed in, even if it meant she had to lose her life. Hannah died a hero, and will always be remembered for her bravery.

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