Hava Nedeber Ivrit: Hannah Szenes By NIRA LEV Of all the numerous giborim whose chayim and ma'asim fill the pages of our history, Hannah Szenes has left the strongest roshem on me and on most Yisraelim of the dor following the Shoah. She is known and admired by yeladim and mevugarim alike and in every eer in Israel you will find streets al sh'ma. Although she was only twenty-three years old when she died, Hannah has become a semel of g'vurah, mesirut-nefesh and hakravah. Hannah, the daughter of the famous sofer Bela Szenes, nolda in Budapest in 1921. Be'giI tza'eer Hannah revealed a remarkable kisharon sifruti and at 13 she began to write a yoman which she kept up until she died. Although her mishpacha was a mishpacha mitbollelet, she became an ardent Zionist and in 1939 decided la'alot la'aretz. Hannah began her limudim at Beit Ha'sefer Ha'chakla'ee at Nahalal and later became a chavera of kibbutz S'dot Yam, at yad Caesaria. Milchemet Ha'olam Ha'shniya broke out. At the end of 1942, when the Yishuv in Palestina learned about the goral of their achim and achayot in Europe, Hannah could not go on with her chayim and avodah doing nothing. She joined a group of tzanchanim mitnadvim organized by the Hagana to go to Europe in a nisayon to rescue Jews and organize Jewish resistance. The tzanchanim knew how dangerous their tafkid was, but they went anyway. Hannah tzancha over Yugoslavia in March, 1944. She stayed among Tito's partisans (where she wrote her famous shir: "Ashrei Ha'gafrur"). On June 7, at the peak of the deportation of Hungarian Jewry, Hannah crossed the g'vul into Hungary, where chayalim Hungarim arrested her. Hannah was taken to a belt- sohar in Budapest where she was tortured by the Germans who wanted information about the code sodi of her radio and about her chaverim. Hannah lo gilta davar. Her worst nisayon was when they brought in her em, who thought her bat, Hannah, was safe in Yisrael and was to find her in beit ha'sohar in Budapest. Hannah apologized to her mother saying: "I had to do it." Hannah lo gilta davar even after the Germans used the iyyum that they would torture her beloved mother. When she was brought to "beit-ha'mishpat", she was told that she was nidona Ie'mavet, and was asked by the kategor whether she wanted to ask for a chanina, but she refused. On the 7th of November, 1944, a firing squad executed Hannah in the courtyard of beit-ha'sohar. Hannah, who refused to be blindfolded and looked her executioners straight in the eyes, became on that day one of our most inspiring, admired giborot. Her aron was brought to Yisrael in 1950 and she was interred on Har Herzl. Her shir "Ashrei Ha'gafrur" "Blessed is The Match"), that is known to every Israeli, sums up her short life as well as the life of all giborim who sacrifice themselves for their sacred cause. Hannah was like the gafrur that was consumed by the lehavot it created, thus inspiring others to go on. She lives on in her yoman, her shirim, and the s'farim written about her. Meelon (Dictionary) gibor giborim chayim ma'asim roshem Yisraelim dor The Shoah yeladim hero heroes life deeds impression Israelis generation The Holocaust children Ha'gafur She'hitzit Lehavot mevugarim adults eer city al sh'mah (named) after her semel a symbol g'vurah heroism mesirut-nefesh . dedication, devotion hakravah sacrifice sofer writer nolda was born be'gil taz'eer at a young age kisharon a talent sifruti literary yoman a diary mishpach family mitbollel assimilating mitbollelet . assimilating (feminine) la'alot la'aretz .to immigrate to Israel limudim studies beit-sefer chakla'ee .. an agricultural school chavera member al yad near Milchemet Ha'olam Ha'shniya ..The Second World War Yishuv ...The Jewish community in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel goral fate, destiny achim brothers achayot sisters avodah work tzanchanim parachutists, paratroopers mitnadvim volunteers The Hagana "The Defense" - The Jewish organization for self defense at the time of the British Mandate. attempt, experience nisayon task tafkid tzancha (she) jumped from an airplane shir poem Ashrei Ha'gafrur Blessed is the Match g'vul border chayalim Hungarim Hungarian soldiers beit sohar prison code sodi a secret code radio radio chaverim friends lo gilta davar .she did not reveal anything nisayon trial em mother bat a daughter iyyum threat beit ha'mishpat the court nidona le'mavet sentenced to death kategor prosecutor chanina a pardon giborot heroines aron a coffin, a closet Har Herzl Mt. Herzl shirim poems, songs gafrur a match lehavot flames s'farim books Ha'gafrur she'hitzit lehavot The match that ignited flames Nira Lev is director of Hebrew Learning Center, Agency for Jewish Education: Director of Hebrew Department, Community Jewish High School; Associate Professor, Midrasha College of Jewish Studies. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 1.—c