Hannah Szenes
Hannah Szenes (often anglicized as Hannah Senesh or Chanah Senesh; Hebrew: חנה סנש; Hungarian: Szenes Anna; 17 July 1921 – 7 November 1944) was a Hungarian Jewish poet and a Special Operations Executive (SOE) member. She was one of 37 Jewish SOE recruits from Mandate Palestine parachuted by the British into Yugoslavia during the Second World War to assist anti-Nazi forces and ultimately in the rescue of Hungarian Jews about to be deported to the German death camp at Auschwitz.
Hannah Szenes | |
|---|---|
Szenes in 1939 | |
| Native name | חנה סנש |
| Born | 17 July 1921 Budapest, Hungary |
| Died | 7 November 1944 (aged 23) Budapest, Hungary |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Buried | Mount Herzl Military Cemetery, Israel |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1944 |
| Unit | Special Operations Executive (SOE) |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Writing career | |
| Genre | Lyric poetry |
| Notable works |
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| Website | |
| www | |
Szenes was arrested at the Hungarian border by Hungarian gendarmes. She was imprisoned and tortured, but refused to reveal details of her mission. She was eventually tried and executed by firing squad. She is regarded as a national hero in Israel but has largely been forgotten in her birthplace of Hungary according to The Guardian. In Israel her poetry is widely known and the Yad Hana kibbutz, as well as several streets, are named after her.