Hannah Senesh by Avril Coba Clementel

Background Information

acob2165 — 2023-02-16 18:26:35 UTC

Hannah Senesh was a Hungarian, Jewish girl born on July 17, 1921. She lived only with her mother, Kathrine, and her brother, Gyӧrgy, since her father passed away early on in her life. Like her late father, she expressed herself through playwriting, journaling, and poems. Additionally, she attended a Protestant School that accepted Jews, but her mother was forced to pay more for her education because of their religion. Hannah realized this mistreatment, and it propelled her to learn more about her Jewish ancestry. Eventually, she joined a Zionist student organization that peacefully fought against anti-semitism. 
   
   Once she graduated from high school in 1939, she left for Palestine to study at an agricultural school and live in a communal settlement. During her few years at this location, she worked at a laundromat and kitchen, facing many unfair hardships that continued until she became an official paratrooper.

Hannah's Execution and Remembrance

acob2165 — 2023-02-16 18:35:53 UTC

   After spending many months in the Budapest prison under terrible conditions, Hannah Senesh was convicted as a spy and sentenced to death. So on November 7, 1944, she was executed by a firing squad, without a blindfold, at the age of twenty-three. 

   Today, the grave of Hannah is placed at Mount Herzel in Jerusalem and she is honored by military personnel and many others.

Multimedia Links: Video

acob2165 — 2023-02-16 18:51:52 UTC

IDF Paratroopers Jump in Honor of WWII Heroine Hannah Szenes

Poems Written By Senesh (1)

acob2165 — 2023-02-16 19:03:30 UTC

Poems Written By Senesh (2)

acob2165 — 2023-02-17 00:14:22 UTC

A Single Woman

acob2165 — 2023-02-17 00:24:23 UTC

Hannah Senesh (inside the circle) was the only female who took part in the mission at Yugoslavia.

Parachuting

acob2165 — 2023-02-17 00:27:06 UTC

Above is an image taken of the Partisans group on their descent to the country of Yugoslavia.

Hidden in Plain Sight

acob2165 — 2023-02-17 00:29:34 UTC

Hannah Senesh was currently acting in her mission and was disguised as a Hungarian soldier.

Act of Resistance

acob2165 — 2023-02-17 00:39:22 UTC

   In 1943, some Jewish Agency officials reached out to Hannah Senesh and asked her to join a secret, dangerous mission with the British Army. She accepted this opportunity, so she completed a class on wireless operators and then she trained in Egypt as a member of the Special Operations Executive. Later on, in 1944, Senesh was dropped into Yugoslavia to serve allied forces, Partisan resistance fighters, and struggling Jewish. After three months, on June 7, 1944, Senesh crossed the border into Germany-occupied Hungary against orders. Sadly, she and two other soldiers were captured within minutes and immediately sent to a Budapest prison. Here, she was brutally tortured for many months but refused to share any information about the mission. To much dismay, she spent her last bit of time of her young life in this prison and was executed.

Her Impact

acob2165 — 2023-02-17 00:42:12 UTC

   Hannah Senesh helped many groups of people and touched hundreds of lives during her few, three months in Yugoslavia. Firstly, she helped anti-nazi forces so they could prepare for their attack on the Germans in Hungary. Secondly, she attempted to contact Partisans groups in the area, so they could save Jewish people in great danger. Thirdly, she worked with the Yishuv and British forces so they could create a Jewish Army within these forces to fight against the Germans. Lastly, she went against orders so she could help people in Hungary, and as a result, she suffered terribly but stood her ground and never betrayed her fellow partisans.

Work Cited

acob2165 — 2023-03-02 17:57:58 UTC

Hannah Senesh's Life: Website #1

Hannah Senesh's Life: Website #2

QuickWrite #1: First They Came For The Jews

acob2165 — 2023-03-02 18:39:22 UTC

   The lesson Martin Niemöller is trying to teach his readers is to always stand up for others before it is too late. In the last line of his poem, he states, "Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me." It is shown in this quote how at one point, Martin Niemöller was affected by the actions of the government like everybody else. This happened because he did not speak out for the other people in their moment of helplessness. In fact, he cowardly did not say anything against the corrupt actions of the government since he was safe at the time. Readers learn from Martin Niemöller's poem to support people in a time of need while one still can.

QuickWrite #2: Peter's Resistance

acob2165 — 2023-03-02 18:49:08 UTC

   In the story "The Diary of Anne Frank," Peter's burning of the Star of David is an act of resistance. As Anne and Peter are feeding Mouschi the cat, Peter begins to rip off his Star of David and Anne exclaims, "But you can't do that. They'll arrest you if you go out without your star" (457). This quote clearly demonstrates Peter standing up to the unjust laws towards Jews. During the Holocaust, Jews were forced to wear stars all the time so people could identify them as Jewish. This caused much harm to Jews such as not being able to go to the cinema, not going to school, and more. Also, taking off the star was a jail-time offense, let alone burning it. Peter's demonstration of resistance despite the consequences, shows people to always stand up against oppression. In the song "Fight Song," the lyrics say, "...a small boat on an ocean, sending big waves into motion." This relates to how Peter standing up to injustice can cause further rebellion in benefit to his fellow Jewish people. Peter displays resistance by destroying the Star of David, and ultimately fighting for what is right.

QuickWrite #5: Upstander

acob2165 — 2023-03-02 18:50:56 UTC

   Hannah Senesh was an upstander during the Holocaust. In a poem Senesh wrote in her death cell during the war, the last few lines state, “I could have been 23 next July. I gambled on what mattered most, the dice were cast. I lost” (jewish-virtuallibrary.org). This quote demonstrates how Hannah was an upstander. It is clearly shown how Senesh understood the possible consequences of her actions. In fact, she knew that she could have done nothing against the Nazis and lived a long, old life. Although, she still chose to fight in a risky mission only a few people were capable of participating in. She sacrificed her childhood, family, and young life just so she could have a small chance of helping people who needed her. So, the lesson the reader should take away from this is to always fight against oppression, despite the odds and difficulties. Throughout the Holocaust, Hannah Senesh was famously known as a resistor.

First They Came for the Jews

acob2165 — 2023-03-08 18:16:12 UTC