Rabbi Aaron Landes (October 1, 1929 – April 19, 2014)
Rabbi Aaron Landes was a distinguished American rabbi of the Conservative movement, a visionary spiritual leader in the Philadelphia area, and one of the highest-ranking Jewish chaplains in the history of the United States Navy Reserve (Active Duty: 1955-1957; Reserves: 1958-1989). His leadership spanned congregational life, Jewish education, and military chaplaincy, leaving a lasting legacy on both Jewish and national institutions.

Early Life and Education
Born on October 1, 1929, in Revere, Massachusetts, Landes was raised in a Jewish household deeply engaged in religious life and study. He graduated summa cum laude from Yeshiva University, where he served as president of the undergraduate student body, and went on to receive ordination and a master’s degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1955.

Congregational Leadership
In 1964, Rabbi Landes was appointed Senior Rabbi of Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, one of the major Conservative synagogues in the Philadelphia region. Over a remarkable 36-year tenure, he guided the community through decades of growth in worship, education, and communal engagement, becoming a trusted spiritual presence for generations of families. After his retirement in 2000, he continued his association with the congregation as Rabbi Emeritus.

Advancing Jewish Education
Together with his wife, Sora (née Eisenberg) Landes, Rabbi Landes was a founding force behind the Forman Hebrew Day School — today part of the Perelman Jewish Day School system — addressing the need for strong Jewish educational institutions in the Philadelphia suburbs. His commitment to education reflected a lifelong belief in nurturing Jewish identity and learning across generations.

Naval Service and Chaplaincy
Parallel to his congregational work, Rabbi Landes built a noteworthy career in the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. After two years of active duty following his ordination, he served in the Naval Reserve until his retirement in 1989 with the rank of Rear Admiral — a distinction that made him among the most prominent Jewish chaplains in U.S. military history. In that role, he oversaw hundreds of chaplains and played a key role in expanding Jewish religious support within the armed forces.

Recognition and Impact
The Times of Israel noted that Rabbi Landes “managed some 700 chaplains as head of the Chaplains Corps” and highlighted his dual success both as a pulpit rabbi and as a senior military chaplain. His daughter described him as “highly intelligent and highly creative” in his professional pursuits.

Passing and Legacy
Rabbi Aaron Landes passed away on April 19, 2014, at the age of 84 after a battle with leukemia. His life and work left an indelible mark on Jewish religious life, education, and military chaplaincy. At Beth Sholom and beyond, he is remembered for his leadership, warmth, and enduring commitment to both faith and service.

Abba Kovner (1918–1987) was a Jewish poet, partisan leader, and one of the most powerful voices of Jewish resistance during and after the Holocaust

He was born in Sevastopol (then part of the Russian Empire) and raised in Vilna (Vilnius), which was a major center of Jewish culture and intellectual life. As a young man, he was active in Zionist youth movements and was already writing poetry

When the Nazis occupied Lithuania in 1941, Kovner was confined to the Vilna Ghetto. There, in December 1941, he issued one of the earliest calls for Jewish armed resistance. In his famous manifesto, he warned that Hitler intended to destroy all Jews and urged: “Let us not go like sheep to the slaughter.” At a time when the scale of the genocide was still hard to comprehend, this was a bold and historic declaration

Kovner helped organize the United Partisan Organization (FPO) in the Vilna Ghetto. After the ghetto was liquidated in 1943, he escaped to the forests and fought as a partisan against the Nazis and their collaborators

After World War II, Kovner was involved in the underground movement Nakam (“Revenge”), which sought retribution against Nazis for the murder of European Jewry. Though large-scale revenge plans were never fully carried out, this period reflected the profound trauma and anger felt by survivors

He later immigrated to the land of Israel, settled in Kibbutz Ein HaHoresh, and became an important literary figure. During Israel’s War of Independence, he served as a cultural officer in the Givati Brigade and wrote influential battle leaflets that shaped morale and national narrative

In the decades that followed, Kovner became one of Israel’s most respected poets. His writing wrestled with memory, loss, moral responsibility, Jewish identity, and the meaning of survival. He testified at the Eichmann trial in 1961, helping bring the voice of resistance and survivor testimony to the world stage

Abba Kovner’s life represents a rare combination of fighter, moral voice, and poet — a man who not only resisted physically during the Holocaust but also shaped how its memory would be understood in Jewish and Israeli consciousness

Born in Cologne Germany 1924
Immigrated to the US (Newark,NJ) 1938
Inducted into the US Army 09/05/1943
Naturalized before going overseas 10/11/1944
Wounded in action in theAsiatic-Pacific campaign 03/19/1945
Received the Purple Heart
Honorable discharge 04/08/1946

My father who grew up (well at least until age 18 when he was forced to leave) in Europe, in an orthodox home, who throughout his life clung to his Judaism in different ways.

On May 10, 1940, the Nazis invaded Belgium, where my father and his family were living at the time. My grandfather, Israel Lust, came home and told his family to gather their most precious belongings, as they would be leaving their home. And on May 14, 1940, their family of 4, my grandparents, Israel and Helen Lust, my uncle Jack Lust, age 17, and my father, Adolph, age 18 (who later renamed himself Edward for obvious reasons), got into their Citroen and began driving south. They drove through Belgium, France, Spain, and crossed by ferry into Morocco, where .they lived for 3 years

In May 1943, they managed to get visas to leave Morocco, flew to Lisbon, Portugal, and got on the last boat to leave Portugal and travel to the United States. They entered the Port of Philadelphia in November 1943, and went to New York to live with cousins. Just 6 months later my father found himself in the US Army, was naturalized as a US Citizen, and went on to be sent back to Europe where he served as a translator in the third armored division.

On September 26, 1944, my father went to his superior, Major General Maurice Rose, and requested some time to pray, telling the Major General that it was his people’s holiest day of the year. Not only did he get permission, but he learned that the Major General was Jewish, asking my dad to say Kaddish for him (in memory of his lost relatives).
My father, all of 5’4” tall, 120 pounds, spoke with such a commanding voice that he was able to convince a farmhouse full of Germans to surrender their weapons as he yelled at them in German to disarm and exit the farmhouse. For this he was awarded the Bronze Star.
My father – petite but mighty – fought for a country in which he was not born but was now forced to live and defend.

Hannah Senesh was born on July 17, 1921, in Budapest, Hungary.

Her father, Béla Szenes, was a well-known Hungarian writer and playwright. Her mother, Katherine (Katalin) Senesh, was a pianist. Hannah had one brother, György (Giora) Senesh, who was one year older than she was.

The Senesh family saw themselves as part of Hungarian culture. They were aware of their Jewish identity, gave their children Jewish traditions and values, but did not believe in the Zionist idea.

From childhood, Hannah stood out as gifted with countless talents, the most prominent being her writing ability. She aspired to become a writer like her father, who passed away when she was six years old. By the age of seven, Hannah had already begun writing poems, which her grandmother would write down in a notebook. At thirteen, she began writing her diary.

At sixteen, Hannah experienced an event that changed her worldview. During high school, she studied at a Protestant Christian girls’ school in Budapest. Thanks to her talents, she was elected by the students to serve as chair of the school’s literature club, but her election was annulled because she was Jewish.

After this event, Hannah became acquainted with the idea of a Jewish homeland in the Land of Israel and gradually became an enthusiastic Zionist. At seventeen, she wrote in her diary: “Now I recognize my Judaism, and my goal is to go up to the Land of Israel and participate in its building.” She decided that after finishing her studies she would immigrate to the Land of Israel and take part in establishing a Jewish state.

In September 1939, at the age of eighteen, Hannah immigrated alone to the Land of Israel after receiving a certificate from the British Mandate authorities, thanks to her acceptance to the Agricultural School for Girls in Nahalal.

In 1941, after completing her studies at the agricultural school in Nahalal, she decided to join Kibbutz Sdot Yam. The kibbutz was first established in Kiryat Haim, with the goal of preparing the ground for settlement in Caesarea. Hannah initially arrived in Kiryat Haim, where she worked in various jobs such as laundry and cleaning, and also as an instructor in the HaNoar HaOved youth movement. The first group that had gone up to establish the kibbutz (in 1940) was already in Caesarea, and Hannah made efforts to join them.

In November 1942, after a year in Kiryat Haim, Hannah arrived at Kibbutz Sdot Yam in Caesarea, which was still in its earliest stage (a group of tents on the shore). When she arrived in Caesarea, she wrote two of her famous poems: “A Walk to Caesarea” and “On the Way” (“A Voice Called and I Went”). At that stage, only a few people knew about her writing.

At the kibbutz, Hannah took part in building the first houses and later became the kibbutz’s quartermaster (responsible for the kibbutz kitchen and for the Palmach naval unit, the Palyam, stationed there).

While Hannah was at Sdot Yam, the first confirmed reports of the extermination of European Jewry reached the country. Unable to make contact with her mother and brother, she began to worry about their fate and about the fate of Hungarian Jewry in general. The combination of the loneliness she experienced at the kibbutz (“I live here like a drop of oil in water”), her sense of not fully realizing her abilities, concern for her family, and anxiety over the fate of Hungarian Jews led her to the conclusion that she must reach Hungary and help rescue Jews and bring them to the Land of Israel.

At that time, an opportunity arose. The “Yishuv Paratroopers” unit was formed — a group of young Jews from the Land of Israel who, with the assistance of the British Army, would return to the countries from which they had immigrated, now under Nazi occupation, and carry out rescue and intelligence missions for the British Army. At the same time, their true mission on behalf of the Jewish Yishuv was to rescue Jews and help bring them to the Land of Israel.

In June 1943, Hannah enlisted in the Haganah and later in the British Army. Thanks to her abilities, she was ultimately chosen as one of the 37 Yishuv paratroopers.

After completing her training — weapons courses במסגרת the Palmach and parachuting and wireless operation courses במסגרת the British Army — Hannah and the other paratroopers traveled to Cairo to prepare for their mission in Europe. Just before departing, she gave her notebook of poems, titled “Without Language,” to her close friend from the Nahalal school, Miriam Yitzhak.

In March 1944, after flying from Cairo via Bari, Italy, Hannah parachuted into Yugoslavia (present-day Slovenia) together with Aba Bardichev, Reuven Dafni, Yonah Rosen, and a British officer. They landed in a forest clearing not far from the Hungarian border, into the arms of the partisans. The plan was, with the help of the partisans, to cross the border into Hungary and ultimately reach Budapest, where, together with the Hungarian Zionist underground, they would work to rescue Jews.

About a week after the parachute drop, Germany invaded Hungary, making the mission of Hannah and the Hungarian group nearly impossible. Hannah persuaded the other paratroopers that they must nevertheless cross the border because “there is a law of conscience,” and even though it was extremely dangerous, they had to do something for the Jews who were now being sent to extermination camps.

After three months with the partisans in Yugoslavia, on June 10, 1944, Hannah crossed the border into Hungary together with three local helpers who joined her. Just before crossing, she gave Reuven Dafni, her commander in Yugoslavia, a note containing a poem she had written titled “Blessed Is the Match.”

After Hannah and her helpers crossed the Drava River, they arrived at a town called Podbrzst in Hungary. In the area of that town, due to a chain of mishaps, the four were captured by Hungarian security forces.

When Hannah’s transmitter was also discovered, it became clear that she was a spy. She was taken for interrogation and subjected to severe torture by the Hungarian police. Despite the torture, Hannah did not break and did not reveal the cipher code of her radio transmitter. At one point, her mother, Katherine, was brought to the prison in an attempt to pressure Hannah into speaking, but she still did not give any information. After a prolonged period of interrogations, the Hungarians ultimately decided to put her on trial, charging her with espionage against her homeland.

On November 7, 1944, at the age of 23, Hannah was executed by firing squad in the courtyard of the prison in Budapest.

After her death, the note containing the poem “Blessed Is the Match” made its way to the Land of Israel and reached Moshe Braslavsky of the Jewish Agency. After reading the poem and being impressed by her writing talent, Braslavsky went to Kibbutz Sdot Yam. Together with the kibbutz members, they opened the suitcase Hannah had left in the clothing storehouse. Inside were her diary notebooks and poems.

Thanks to the writings she left behind — her diaries, poems, her story, and her extraordinary personality — she became a symbol of courage and inspiration. In 1950, the State of Israel brought her remains to Israel and held a state funeral attended by thousands. The funeral procession passed through several locations in the country and concluded at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, where Hannah was laid to rest in a section called “The Paratroopers’ Plot” — where there are three graves and four memorials to paratroopers who did not return: Hannah Senesh, Haviva Reik, Rafael Reiss, Aba Bardichev, Enzo Sereni, Zvi Ben Yaakov, and Peretz Goldstein.

That same year, 1950, members of Sdot Yam decided to establish a cultural center in her memory, and Beit Hannah Senesh was founded at Kibbutz Sdot Yam. The center was renovated and reopened in 2020 as a heritage site and museum commemorating Hannah’s life and the story of the Yishuv paratroopers.