Editorial Review:
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In 1944, 22-year-old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II.
Narrated by Academy Award® winner Joan Allen, the multi-award-winning BLESSED IS THE MATCH follows the remarkable journey of this young Hungarian poet and diarist, paratrooper and resistance fighter. Told through Hannah s letters, diaries, and poems, her mother s memoirs, and the recollections of those who knew and loved her (including two of her fellow parachutists), the film traces her life from her childhood in Budapest to her time in British-controlled Palestine where she was drawn by the Kibbutz Movement that sought to build an independent Jewish state to her daring mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary.
Both devastating and inspiring, BLESSED IS THE MATCH offers an intimate portrait of a singularly talented, courageous and complex girl who believed that one person could be a flame that burns brightly in even the darkest hours.
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Reader Reviews for Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best Holocaust Biographies I Have Ever Seen
Comment: A woman, an idealist, a resistance fighter...a cross between Anne Frank and Sophie Scholl...an inspiration to Jews and to others in peril. You must see this film. "Blessed is the Match" is the title of one of Hannah Senesh's last poems. She handed the scrap of paper with the poetry to a member paratrooper in case she did not finish her mission. Like the match itself, SHE is the spark that fires the world from a darkness of misery into a light of goodness and courage.
Imagine being safe in Palestine, away from the Holocaust, yet deciding to parachute back to the maelstrom to help other Jews. No group of persons...other than the Jews of Palestine...attempted such a rescue. Only 30 Jews had the courage, including 3 women. and one of the three was Hannah Senesh. Even though she did not succeed in her defined military mission, she continued the mission, nonetheless in prison. Here, through her friendship and courage, she offered other imprisoned Jews hope that others might come after her to rescue them from Fascist death. What is the meaning of hope? Hannah Senesh provides an answer - her indomitable spirit is the answer.
I had tears by the end of the film...but some of the salt of my weeping was also the sense of joy in the goodness that still resides in humanity. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."- M. Mead.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Long Overdue Tribute To A Remarkable Human Being
Comment: This is a fine documentary about one of the most outstanding personalities of the 20th Century, Hannah Senesh. Through the efforts of director Roberta Grossman and producer Marta Kauffman, viewers of "Blessed Is the Match" are offered a rare and long overdue glimpse into the life and experiences of the famed Hungarian-Jewish heroine of World War II. A mix of period footage, never-before seen family photographs and artful reenactments enhance Senesh's story, related here by Historians, Sir Martin Gilbert and Judith Tydor Baumel-Schwartz; Senesh's nephews, Eitan and David; two of her parachutist colleagues (Reuven Dafni and Surika Bravermann), and several other witnesses from her past, including former schoolmates; members of her Kibbutz, and even fellow inmates who spent time with her in prison before her execution death in 1944.
Hannah Senesh is one of those exceptional human beings - brilliant and brave - who had so much to give to the world, but whose life was extinguished far too soon. Although she was only 23 years-old when she died, Senesh left behind a wealth of writings that reveal a dynamic, keenly intelligent, sensitive and solidly moral character. These documents include letters, a personal diary and a treasure-trove of beautiful and inspiring poetry that has been widely-read and admired throughout the world for decades. Her image has long been shrouded in myth, but the real-life Hannah Senesh was far more intriguing and complex, and her experiences far more compelling, than any myth could hope to portray. The film, "Blessed Is the Match", imparts this very well and serves as a modern memorial to a remarkable young woman who was not only a gifted writer, but also a devoted daughter and sister, a courageous heroine and a truly great soul whose untimely death was a loss to us all.
I also recommend: Hannah Senesh: Her Life and Diary, the First Complete Edition
Customer Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Comment: I was fairly well acquainted with the story of Hannah Senesz and her bravery, but this movie captured it better than I possibly could have imagined. Tears were streaming down my face as the ending credits rolled. The photographs, photography and other images portayed this heroines life in an amazing and captivating way. I highly recommend this film for any type of Holocaust Studies or Women's Studies venue. Extremely well done and a wonderful tribute to a well deserving and often unsung hero.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Portrait of a Heroine
Comment: "Blessed is the Match"
Portrait of a Heroine
Amos Lassen
To some people the name Hannah Shenesh does not mean anything but after watching the incredible new documentary, "Blessed is the Match"; those who see it will become aware of a truly amazing woman.
Shenesh was a World War II paratrooper who volunteered to become a resistance fighter along the same lines as Joan of Arc. She was also a poet and diarist. Living safely in what was Palestine (now Israel) in 1944, she volunteer to paratroop into Hungary (her native country) to rescues Jews who were doomed to experience the Holocaust, What is so important about this is that it was the only rescue mission to save Jews during the War. Shenesh successfully landed in Hungary and behind enemy lines but was captured and tortured and then executed by the Nazi regime. What many do not realize is what she left behind--a body of written work that went on to inspire readers all over the world and she was only 23 when she died.
The film is brought to us by Katahdin Productions and Balcony Releasing and wonderfully directed by Roberta Grossman and this is the first documentary about Hannah Shenesh.
Director Grossman was allowed complete access to the archives of the Shenesh family and she discovered over 1300 photographs that have never been seen publicly and a huge collection of unpublished letters. Grossman and her crew also interviewed the few survivors who knew Hannah Shenesh and found friends from her childhood in Budapest and those that were with her in the Gestapo jail in the summer of 1944. For background information we hear from Holocaust scholars and we not only get a wonderful and illuminating picture of Hannah Shenesh but also more insight into the darkest period of the history of the world.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Portrait of a Heroine
Comment: "Blessed is the Match"
Portrait of a Heroine
Amos Lassen
To some people the name Hannah Senesh does not mean anything but after watching the incredible new documentary, "Blessed is the Match"; those who see it will become aware of a truly amazing woman.
Senesh was a World War II paratrooper who volunteered to become a resistance fighter along the same lines as Joan of Arc. She was also a poet and diarist. Living safely in what was Palestine (now Israel) in 1944, she volunteer to paratroop into Hungary (her native country) to rescue Jews who were doomed to experience the Holocaust, What is so important about this is that it was the only rescue mission to save Jews during the War. Senesh successfully landed in Hungary and behind enemy lines but was captured and tortured and then executed by the Nazi regime. What many do not realize is what she left behind--a body of written work that went on to inspire readers all over the world and she was only 23 when she died.
The film is brought to us by Katahdin Productions and Balcony Releasing and wonderfully directed by Roberta Grossman and this is the first documentary about Hannah Shenesh.
Director Grossman was allowed complete access to the archives of the Senesh family and she discovered over 1300 photographs that have never been seen publicly and a huge collection of unpublished letters. Grossman and her crew also interviewed the few survivors who knew Hannah Senesh and found friends from her childhood in Budapest and those that were with her in the Gestapo jail in the summer of 1944. For background information we hear from Holocaust scholars and we not only get a wonderful and illuminating picture of Hannah Senesh but also more insight into the darkest period of the history of the world.
I am rarely inspired by a film but this beautiful documentary reduced me to tears and reinforced my pride as a Jew. Even though I already knew why I served in the Israeli army, Hannah Senesh made me realize it even more. She was a great lady who died so that so many of us have the opportunity to live free. Watching her coffin being returned to Israel as her mother looked on is one of the finest moments I have ever seen on the movie screen.
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