Hannah Senesh is one of the heros of modern Zionism. She was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1921. In 1938, after Kristallnacht, and Hungary's decision to side with Germany in World War II, Senesh decided to emigrate to Palestine.
As the war escalated, Hannah Senesh joined the underground Jewish army, the Haganah. She and other young Zionists petitioned the British, who controlled Palestine, to allow them to return to Europe to help other Jews escape from the Nazis. In 1944, Senesh and 31 other Haganah members were sent by the British to train in parachuting and espionage techniques.
After completing their training, the members of the group were sent to different parts of Europe. Hannah Senesh parachuted into Yugoslavia, where she joined an underground partisan group.
Soon after reaching Europe, Hannah Senesh was captured by the Germans. After a long imprisonment and interrogation, Hannah Senesh was executed by firing squad on November 7, 1944.
Hannah Senesh was a prolific writer and poet. Her poems and diaries provide a valuable history of the Haganah and Zionist resistance during the Holocaust. Her most famous poem, Eli, Eli has been set to music as a popular folk song.
As Anacreon pointed out to me, Hannah Senesh's last name should more correctly be spelled Szenes, the Hungarian spelling. However, I think more people are familiar with the English spelling, so I prefer the leave the node where it is right now.