Independent Lens Season 11 Episode 20 Blessed Is the Match

In the Independent Lens season 11 episode 20 titled "Blessed Is the Match," viewers are taken on a journey through the story of Hannah Senesh, a little-known World War II heroine. Senesh was a young Hungarian Jew who moved to Palestine in the late 1930s to join the kibbutz movement. When the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, she volunteered to join a British mission to parachute into Europe to help save Jewish lives.

The documentary begins by exploring Senesh's early life and her strong sense of Jewish identity. Through interviews with family members and historians, viewers learn about the young girl who loved to write poetry and explore nature. They also learn about the rise of fascism in Europe and the ways in which it impacted the lives of Jews like Senesh.

As the war progresses, Senesh becomes more determined to do something to help her fellow Jews. She volunteers to join a British mission to aid resistance fighters in Yugoslavia, despite having no military training. Viewers are taken on a journey through her training, including parachute jumps and survival skills, and her eventual mission to Hungary.

The heart of the documentary is the story of Senesh's time in Hungary. She parachutes into a rural area with a small group of other Jewish volunteers, who are also trying to help Jewish communities. The group is quickly discovered by Hungarian authorities and captured. Senesh is taken to a prison in Budapest, where she endures months of torture and interrogation without revealing any information about her mission.

Viewers witness the incredible bravery and resilience of Senesh during her imprisonment. She writes poetry and letters to her family, expressing her love for them and her hope for the future of the Jewish people. She also becomes a source of inspiration for her fellow prisoners, who are in awe of her commitment to her cause and her unwavering strength.

The documentary is also a powerful exploration of the wider Jewish resistance movement during World War II. Viewers see how groups of Jewish partisans in the forests of Yugoslavia and Poland fought back against Nazi oppression, often with limited resources and support. They also learn about the ways in which Jews in Hungary organized resistance activities, including smuggling Jews out of the country and providing them with false identities.

Throughout the film, viewers are given a sense of the enormity of the tragedy of the Holocaust and the ways in which Jews like Senesh were determined to fight back against it. The documentary also touches on themes of heroism, sacrifice, and the power of words and art in the face of oppression.

Overall, "Blessed Is the Match" is a moving and thought-provoking film that sheds light on a little-known hero of World War II. Hannah Senesh's story is one of courage and dedication to a cause, and her legacy continues to inspire people around the world today.