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| Blessed is the Match |
Hannah Senesh was a Hungarian Jewish resistance fighter and poet. The child of educated parents in Budapest, Hannah's early years ran parallel to the growth of anti-Semitism in Hungary and led her to fiercely embrace Zionism. After migrating to Palestine, Hannah volunteered for a special unit trained by the British Army and parachuted into occupied Yugoslavia. She then travelled clandestinely back to Hungary to make contact with the resistance, but was arrested, tortured and subsequently executed.
Roberta Grossman's inspirational documentary, narrated by three-time Academy Award nominee Joan Allen, is a pæan to Senesh's courage and creativity. Hannah Senesh comes to life through unusually effective recreations with actresses Meri Roth and Marcela Nohynkova, alongside interviews with kibbutz members, fellow parachutists, historian Sir Martin Gilbert and Hannah's nephews.
But perhaps what brings us closest to this brave young woman are the letters she wrote to her mother Catherine, who was still in Budapest at the time of Hannah's arrest, which capture her daughter's hopes and dreams for herself and her people.
