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Israel’s National Library unveils rare photos of WWII Jewish heroine

The images displayed capture candid moments, such as Senesh on horseback at Kfar Baruch, playing table tennis, and working with cows at the Nahalal Agricultural School.

By Jewish Breaking News

The National Library of Israel has unveiled an extensive collection of photographs chronicling the life of a Jewish war heroine.

Born in Budapest in 1921, Hannah Senesh received an Agfa Box-Spezial Camera at a young age, which became her constant companion.

Her photographs span from her early life in Budapest through family vacations, and later document her pioneering days in British Mandatory Palestine.

Senesh’s life took a dramatic turn in 1943 when she enlisted in the British army and volunteered for a dangerous paratrooper mission into Nazi-occupied Europe.

She was tasked to assist downed Allied pilots in escaping and to aid Jewish communities under Nazi occupation.

In March 1944, she parachuted into Slovenia with three fellow paratroopers. Tragically, on June 9, 1944, Hungarian police captured her in Budapest.

Despite enduring months of torture and the arrest of her mother, Senesh refused to divulge information to her captors.

She was ultimately charged with spying and treason, leading to her execution on November 7, 1944, at just 23 years old.

In 1945, Jewish Brigade soldier Moshe Braslavsky discovered a suitcase under her bed at Kibbutz Sdot Yam containing letters, diaries, and photo albums.

Later, a notebook of poetry, entrusted to a friend before her final mission, emerged to further cement her cultural impact.

In recognition of her sacrifice, Senesh was reinterred in 1950 at Israel’s national military cemetery on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem.

The archive contains a treasure trove of her personal effects, including manuscripts, notebooks, photographs, documents, and personal items.

In her own words, preserved in letters to her mother, Senesh humorously noted, “Everyone wants me to photograph them, as if they’ve appointed me the court photographer.”

Her photographic legacy includes carefully curated albums with typewritten captions and personal annotations on the backs of photos, many of which were sent to her family in Hungary.

The images displayed capture candid moments, such as Senesh on horseback at Kfar Baruch, playing table tennis, and working with cows at the Nahalal Agricultural School.