Walking to Caesarea

Walking to Caesarea (Eli, Eli)by Chana SeneshMy god, my God,May these things never end,The sand and the sea,The rustle of the waters,Lightning of the heavens,The prayer of man. ------------Israel's memorial day for fallen soldiers (from tonight to tomorrow night) began half an hour ago, which is excuse enough to bring this song by Chana Senesh, Walking to Caesarea - one of the most beautiful and famous songs in the Hebrew language. Senesh lived in Kibbutz Sdot Yam, which is right next to the ancient port city of Caesarea. Those beaches, and those ruins, are enough to inspire anyone to poetry.This is a song every Israeli child learns at a very young age. Despite this, it took me years to learn the story behind its author. I'll let Wikipedia tell it for me:"Hannah Szenes (or Chana Senesh) (July 17, 1921 – November 7, 1944) was a Hungarian Jew, one of 37 Jews living in Palestine, now Israel, who were trained by the British army to parachute into Yugoslavia during the Second World War in order to help save the Jews of Hungary, who were about to be deported to the German death camp at Auschwitz.Szenes was arrested at the Hungarian border, imprisoned and tortured, but she refused to reveal details of her mission, and was eventually tried and executed by firing squad. She is regarded as a national heroine in Israel, where streets are named after her and her poetry is widely known."--WikipediaThis song is usually thought of as more connected to Holocaust Memorial Day (which was last week) but I figure that as Senesh was a member of the Hagana (not to mention the SOE), today is at least as appropriate.