[HANASHIR:8866] Re: info request - Eli, Eli

[SHARON PLIER <CantorShar...>]

Hannah Senesh was a paratrooper and died having been caught in Nazi Germany
after having tried to rescue Jews.  She was from Palestine.  There is a
biography book about her, but I do not have access to it and do not remember
the title or author.  If no one else has better info, I would go to
Amazon.com and look up her name, or if you live near a large shul with a
good library, they probably have it in their collection.  Aside from her
heroic life, she was a poet and several of her songs have been set to music.

Hope this helps.

Sharon Steinberg
----- Original Message -----
From: Judy Ginsburgh <judy (at) jewishentertainment(dot)net>
To: <hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2001 5:14 PM
Subject: [HANASHIR:8865] Re: info request - Eli, Eli


> The words to Eli, Eli were written by Hannah Senesh.  It was set to music
by
> David Zahavi.  Not sure who wrote the English words.  It was published in
a
> red paperback book by Transcontinental Music several years ago for the
> Reform Movement (prior to Gates of Song).  I use to have a copy that might
> have provided more info, but I cannot get my hands on it right away.
Below
> is info on Hannah:
>
>
> Hannah Szenes (1921-1944)
> Haganah Fighter and Poet
>
> Through her brief but noteworthy life, Hannah Szenes became a symbol of
> idealism and self-sacrifice. Her poems, made famous in part because of her
> unfortunate death, reveal a woman imbued with hope, even in the face of
> adverse circumstances.
>
> Szenes, the daughter of an author and journalist, was born in Budapest.
She
> demonstrated her own literary talent from an early age, and she kept a
diary
> from age 13 until shortly before her death. Although her family was
> assimilated, anti-Semitic sentiment in Budapest led her to involvement in
> Zionist activities, and she left Hungary for Eretz Yisrael in 1939. She
> studied first at an agricultural school, and then settled at Kibbutz Sdot
> Yam. While there she wrote poetry, as well as a play about kibbutz life.
>
> In 1943 Szenes joined the British Army and volunteered to be parachuted
into
> Europe. The purpose of this operation was to help the Allied efforts in
> Europe and establish contact with partisan resistance fighters in an
attempt
> to aid beleaguered Jewish communities. Szenes trained in Egypt and was one
> of the thirty-three chosen to parachute behind enemy lines. With the goal
of
> reaching her native Budapest, Szenes was parachuted in March, 1944 into
> Yugoslavia, and spent three months with Tito's partisans. Her idealism and
> commitment to her cause are memorialized in her poem "Blessed is the
Match,"
> which she wrote at this time.
>
> On June 7, 1944, at the height of the deportation of Hungarian Jews,
Szenes
> crossed the border into Hungary. She was caught almost immediately by the
> Hungarian police, and although tortured cruelly and repeatedly over the
next
> several months, refused to divulge any information. Even the knowledge
that
> her mother was at risk and that she too might be harmed did not move
Szenes
> to cooperate with the police. At her trial in October of that year, Szenes
> staunchly defended her activities and she refused to request clemency.
> Throughout her ordeal she remained steadfast in her courage, and when she
> was executed by a firing squad on November 7, she refused the blindfold,
> staring squarely at her executors and her fate.
>
> In 1950, Szenes' remains were brought to Israel and re-interred in the
> military cemetery on Mount Herzl. Her diary and literary works were later
> published, and many of her more popular poems, including "Towards
Caesarea"
> and "Blessed is the Match," have been set to music. She has also been the
> subject of several artistic works, including a play by Aharon Megged.
>
>
> Judy :)
>
> Judy Caplan Ginsburgh - Professional Singer/Recording Artist/Educator
> www.jewishentertainment.net/judy
> judy (at) jewishentertainment(dot)net
> Director:  Jewish Entertainment Resources - We Help You Find Jewish
Talent!
> www.jewishentertainment.net
> Conference Chair - CAJE 23 - www.caje.org
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sue Marx" <suemarx (at) juno(dot)com>
> To: <hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 4:16 AM
> Subject: [HANASHIR:8864] Re: info request - Eli, Eli
>
>
> > Chavarim--
> >
> > I would also like information on Hannah Senesh and the background of
"Eli
> > Eli."  Maybe others on the list would like it too.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Sue Marx
> > ________________________________________________________________
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>
>

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