Kol Szenes
Miriam Itzkowitz – Year 12
International Women’s Day
This past Sunday was International Women’s Day, a day in which we honour and acknowledge the accomplishments of women, who have unfortunately been oppressed and disregarded within patriarchal society for millenia. Whilst there has been quite a lot of improvement, there is still a long way to go, especially for women in developing countries and areas where women are considered worth less than a man – this kind of behaviour and attitude needs to stop. Women have always shown their ability and potential, and one such woman is our very own name sake, Hannah Szenes.
Hannah Szenes was a Hungarian Jewish girl, born in the 1920’s who chose to devote her life to a future Jewish state, joining a Zionist youth movement called Maccabea, amidst all the chaos of anti-Semitism in Hungary. In the late 30’s, she emigrated to then-Palestine to go to Nahalal to study agriculture, and then in the early 1940’s she moved to a kibbutz and, joined the Haganah – the paramilitary organisation of the Jewish Yashuv, which ultimately founded the IDF.
In 1943, Szenes allied with England and joined the British Women’s Auxiliary Air forces where she was captured by German soldiers in Hungary and was charged with treason. She was tortured continuously, but she never gave them the information they were looking for. They even threatened to kill her mother, and she still refused. Unfortunately, Szenes was executed by firing squad for treason.
Even though Szenes didn’t meet an ideal end, she is the epitome of bravery, resilience and hope. Even when she knew her end was near, she stayed loyal and protective in the hope of a better future. She wrote poetry and she always stayed true to herself. These are the qualities of a true Szenesian. She was strong. We need to produce women (and men) like her in order to have a better future, for her legacy and to demonstrate the Szenesian qualities.
Purim
We had an amazing time at Purim on Tuesday, with lots of fun dress-ups and costumes! We explored leadership and power, and what makes a person one or the other. This led to many interesting discussions, with some saying morals, and others saying might. Chag Sameach!
Announcements:
- 8 March 2020 was International Women’s Day – It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world and within our community. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.
- House Concert – We have our annual House Concert occurring Monday of Week 9 after school! It is great to see such enthusiasm and participation during rehearsals. Let’s make it the best so that we can win!
Mazal tov to:
- Miriam Itzkowitz in Year 12 for being accepted in the Maimonides Scholars Program at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Birthday wishes
Happy Birthday to these Szenesians who celebrated their birthdays this week:
- Reece Carr (Year 8)
- Ruby Grynberg (Year 9)
- Bodhi Friske (Year 7)
Quote of the week:
“What is called genius is the abundance of life and health.”
Henry David Thoreau
Shabbat Shalom and have a fantastic weekend!
Szenes House