Alexis Joffe

On Saturday (7 November 2020) we marked the Yahrzeit of Hannah Szenes, a highly prominent figure in Israeli and Jewish history. Last Thursday, the entire High School participated in a range of activities revolving around the value of intention (kavanah). The program encouraged students to consider the concept of kavanah in relation to Hannah Szenes, and the importance of this value and mindset in their own lives.

At age 22, Szenes parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe in order to rescue her fellow Jews. Within hours, she was captured by Hungarian authorities and sent to prison in Budapest. She endured several months of cruel torture – her mother, too, was captured and put at risk – but she refused to cooperate with the police or provide any information regarding her mission. She faced trial for her actions, where she defended her decisions and remained steadfast in her courage. As a result, she was sentenced to death as a spy and executed on 7 November 1944. Her life was cut short, but the life she led and the kavanah behind all that she did has inspired

Jessica Lowy

generations of Jews and Israelis and will continue to do so.

After learning about Szenes’ story, students played a game of ‘compliment bingo’, in which they were instructed to give each other specified compliments in order to win. This was followed by a discussion revolving around the importance of intention in our lives: Is there value in a compliment given out of obligation, rather than desire? Is there significance to an action being taken on one’s free will? How did Hannah Szenes display kavanah throughout her lifetime, and how can we draw inspiration from her?

May we remember Hannah Szenes at this time.

By Alexis Joffe and Jessica Lowy
Year 11