​This is Hannah Szenes’s letter of application, addressed to the principal of the agricultural school in Nahalal. It tells us much about her character. At the beginning of the letter, Hannah describes her family: her mother Catalina (Katrina), who is the widow of her late father, the author Bella Szenes. She writes that she has been an outstanding student in all the institutions where she has studied. She mentions that she speaks German, French, and English, and the letter shows that she is proficient in Hebrew as well. Hannah explains in the letter that her desire to immigrate to Israel is not a result of the events in Europe: “Even before the tide of fate turned against us, my people in my homeland, my soul already longed for life in Eretz Israel.” She says she wants to learn a profession that will allow her to take part in building the country, which is why she wants to be accepted to study at the agricultural school. She ends the letter with the hope that her request will be granted, which will bring her “great joy and great happiness.” She signs her name as “Anna Szenes.” Her application was accepted, and Hannah arrived in Israel in September 1939, at the age of 18. She studied for two years at the Hannah Meisel Agricultural School in Nahalal and then joined Kibbutz Sdot Yam. In 1943, she volunteered for the British Army and was one of the paratroopers who left for a mission in Nazi-occupied Europe. In March 1944, Hannah and her comrades parachuted into Yugoslavia, close to the Hungarian border. In June, Hannah crossed the border and was immediately apprehended and imprisoned. In a prison in Budapest, she was brutally tortured but refused to give any details about the mission or her friends. On November 7, Hannah Szenes was executed for treason in her native Hungary.