Mr. Sandler shares that in a remarkable partnership with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, Mr. Sandler brought more than fifty students from his Jewish History classes to see Hannah Senesh, an electrifying solo play with music directed by David Schechter and performed by Jennifer Apple. The program was made possible through a special grant aimed at fighting antisemitism and promoting Holocaust awareness.
The play brings to life the extraordinary true story of Hannah Senesh — a fearless young Hungarian woman who left home to help build a Jewish state and later parachuted behind Nazi lines on a daring mission to rescue Jews, including her own mother, from the Holocaust. A poet, Zionist, and resistance fighter, Senesh was executed at just 23 years old, and her poetry — much of it set to music — endures as a source of inspiration and remembrance.
Following the performance, students participated in an illuminating talk-back with director David Schechter and Rabbi Katalin Kelemen, a pioneering female rabbi from Budapest. Rabbi Kelemen spoke about Senesh’s complex legacy in Hungary — where she remains relatively unknown — and contrasted it with her iconic status in Israel, where schools, youth movements, and songs continue to honor her memory.
At a time of rising antisemitism, students found it deeply meaningful to encounter the story of a young woman who embodied courage, sacrifice, and moral conviction in the face of hatred and tyranny. See a full size photo collage here.
