November 7, 1944
Hannah Szenes Is Executed
Historical context
On this day, November 7, 1944, Hannah Szenes was executed by firing squad in Budapest. She was 23.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- November 7, 1944
- Verified sources
- 3
- Archive threads
- 9
On this day, Hannah Szenes was executed by firing squad in Budapest. She was 23, and she had been convicted of treason against Hungary. The Jewish Women’s Archive records that she refused a blindfold.
Born in Budapest in 1921, she immigrated to Palestine in 1939 and joined Kibbutz Sdot Yam. In 1943 she volunteered for the British Army. In March 1944, about a week before Germany occupied Hungary, she parachuted into Yugoslavia. She crossed into Hungary in June with a radio transmitter and was captured immediately. She did not reveal the code. Her remains were reburied on Mount Herzl in 1950.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Hannah Szenes · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum · Holocaust Encyclopedia View source
- Hannah Szenes · Yad Vashem · Yad Vashem View source
- Hannah Szenes · Jewish Women’s Archive · The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women View source
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