Special Exhibitions

Fire In My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh
May 14- September 8, 2013

 
Hannah Senesh came of age as a promising poet in Budapest. Becoming a Zionist, she immigrated to British Mandate Palestine in 1939. Four years later—hoping to aid Hungary’s embattled Jews—the 22- year-old Hannah volunteered to penetrate Nazi-controlled Europe as a British intelligence officer. Following her capture and imprisonment, a Hungarian court found her guilty of treason and executed her. Within months of her death, Hannah Senesh was a national hero to the Jewish community in Palestine. Her poem “A Walk to Caesarea” (popularly known as “Eli, Eli”) was set to music and has become a second anthem for the Jewish State. Through her writings, photographs, remaining possessions, and interviews by friends and colleagues, her remarkable life is revealed here for the first time. Her story illustrates how a person motivated by ideals can act in extraordinary ways and contribute to causes greater than one’s self.

 

Learn more about Hannah Senesh

Learn about special docent-led tours for Fire In My Heart

Fire In My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh was created and is circulated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

 

This exhibition is made possible by leadership gifts in loving memory of Anne Ratner from her children and grandchildren, and from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Additional support provided by the David Berg Foundation and The Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation, Inc.
 
We are grateful to the Senesh Family for making the exhibition possible by providing material from their collection.

 

Photo collection of the Senesh Family.

 

The Golder Family Foundation is the lead sponsor for all Museum Special Exhibitions.

 

 

Guest Curator Talk
Sunday, May 19, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

New scholarship sheds light on the real Hannah Senesh, a remarkable young woman who was full of life, with a sparkling sense of humor and a burning desire to make a difference in the world. Join Dr. Louis D. Levine, Museum of Jewish Heritage Senior Advisor, for a behind-the-scenes talk of this poignant exhibition and hear his insights about this intriguing figure whose heroic death ignited a fledgling nation's imagination. Dr. Levine’s remarks will be followed by a special conversation with David Senesh, nephew of Hannah Senesh.

Reservations required; reservations@ilhmec.org

 

Film & Discussion: Blessed is the Match
Sunday, June 23, 1:30-3:30 P.M.

Roberta Grossman’s thoughtful documentary reveals the tragic story of young Hungarian poet and diarist Hannah Senesh through Senesh’s letters and poems, and her mother’s memoir.  Running time is 86 minutes.

Reservations required; reservations@ilhmec.org