<p>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 <i>Hannah Senesh</i>, 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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. <a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAG4G3T-TsY/j5jSU37ybiFCnNej1Kt9fw/view?utm_content=DAG4G3T-TsY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h44afeaabe5">See a full size photo collage here.</a></p>
