Hannah Szenes

Born in Budapest to a prominent Jewish literary family, Hannah Szenes (or Senesh, if you're Hungarian about it) began keeping a diary at age 13, because what else does a precocious, future poet-hero do? At 18, facing rising antisemitism, she made the eminently sensible decision to emigrate to Mandate Palestine, because that's where all the cool Jews were going to build a kibbutz and learn agriculture. Not exactly the typical path for a burgeoning intellectual, but then, Hannah was never typical.

By 1943, with the Holocaust raging and her homeland in peril, Hannah did what any self-respecting, incredibly brave Jew would do: she joined the British Women's Auxiliary Air Force, volunteered for a top-secret mission, and parachuted into Yugoslavia. Her objective? To rescue Hungarian Jews from the Nazis. Spoiler alert: the mission was fraught, to say the least. She was captured almost immediately after crossing into Hungary, tortured, and eventually executed.

Before her capture, during, and even facing execution, Hannah continued to write poetry, her words serving as a testament to her indomitable spirit and faith. Her most famous poem, "A Walk to Caesarea" (often known by its opening line, "My God, My God, I Pray That It Will Never End"), has since become an Israeli classic. She gave her life attempting to save others, leaving behind a legacy of courage, poetry, and a story that makes every other resistance fighter look like they were just phoning it in.

Unsurprisingly, Hannah is considered a national hero in Israel. Her bones were brought to rest on Mount Herzl, which is basically the Jewish Hall of Fame. So yes, five out of five on all counts: deeply Jewish, undeniably Jewish by birth, and kvell-worthy beyond measure. She made the ultimate sacrifice, cementing her status as a true light unto the nations, and a reminder that heroism often comes in the form of a young woman with a pen and a parachute.