Brothers For Resistance And Rescue By David Gur

Szenes HannaSzenes AnikóBorn in Budapest in 1921Executed on 7.11.1944 in BudapestParatrooperHanna was the daughter of an assimilated family of writers, poets andmusicians. Her father, Béla Szenes, was a well-known writer in Hungary.Hanna was an excellent student and her literary talent was discoveredwhile she was still a child. She wrote poems and a diary. Hanna becamean enthusiastic Zionist and in September 1939 she made aliya. Shestudied for two years at the agricultural school in Nahalal and in 1941 shejoined Kibbutz Sdot Yam. In November 1943 she volunteered toparachute over German occupied Europe. She underwent the necessarytraining in the framework of the British army and, on 14.3.1944, five daysbefore the Germans invaded Hungary, she jumped over Yugoslavia andstayed with the partisans. On 9.6.1944 Hanna crossed the border intoHungary and was immediately caught by the Hungarians while still inpossession of her radio and other suspicion casting equipment. She wastaken to the prison in Szombathely, interrogated and tortured. In spite ofthe threats to her and her mother’s life (her mother lived in Hungary)Hanna did not reveal the transmission code or the goals of her mission.She was taken to Budapest, to the central prison of the Hungarian armyon Margit Boulevard. During her interrogation she was allowed to meether mother. Hanna was tried by a military court, convicted and sentencedto death on charges of treason. She refused to ask for a pardon and on7.11.1944 she was executed. Before she went on her mission, Hannawrote in her diary: “I am going happily, out of my free will and fully awareof the difficulties. I see this mission as a right and also a duty.”In her poem “On the Way”, she wrote: “A voice called me and I went/ Iwent because the voice called.”Brothers for Resistance and Rescue 237