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In Israel, she's a national heroine — Americans are starting to understand why

JL;DR SUMMARY Hannah Senesh, an Israeli icon renowned for her heroism during World War II, is gaining recognition in the United States through Douglas Century's biography, "Crash of the Heavens." A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CultureHolocaustZionismWorld War IiBiographyJewish ResistanceHeroismDouglas CenturyHannah Senesh

Places mentioned

Israel
"In Israel, Hannah Senesh, the 23-year-old poet and paratrooper who died trying to save Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust, is a national heroine."
Budapest, Hungary
"Born Anna Szenes in 1921 Budapest, she was the daughter of a celebrated Hungarian Jewish playwright and journalist who died of heart failure at 33."
Caesaria, Haifa District, Israel
"Accepted to an agricultural school in Palestine, Senesh made aliyah in 1939. She graduated with expertise in poultry farming, but was assigned to the laundry of Kibbutz Sdot Yam (Fields of the Sea), near Caesaria."
Hungary
"The mission was delayed, in Centurys telling, by mutual distrust between the British military and the Jewish leadership in Palestine. But Senesh finally was able to train as both a paratrooper and wireless radio operator."
Serbia
"Surika Braverman, phobic about heights, was unable to parachute. But she did fly into Yugoslavia, link up with Titos partisans, and later establish the Womens Corps of the Israel Defense Forces."

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Cairo Item ID 67328
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Retrieved 2025-11-19 05:30:45 UTC
Curated 2025-11-19 08:31:09 UTC