The Ladies Of The Mossad
Some women are living the secret agent life I only imagined for myself. Gordon Thomas serializes his new book, Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad
Arguably the most famous female kidon was Cheryl Ben-Tov, code-named Cindy. Born in Orlando, Florida, Cheryl moved to Israel to study Hebrew and Jewish history. At 18 she fell in love with an Israeli who worked for the Internal Security Service, Shin Beth.A year after they married, Cheryl volunteered to join Mossad. Her motivation, she later told me, was "the thrill of its mystery".
Her training taught her, among other skills, how to construct a waterproof strip of microfilm that could be left buried in the side of a river bank. She also learnt how to change her facial appearance by inserting cotton wadding in her cheeks. She became adept at posing as a drunk and chatting up men in nightclubs, then disengaging herself outside their hotel.
With an IQ of 140, and her ideal psychological profile, Cheryl was invited to join the kidon. On the day she was trucked out to its base in the Negev, she was questioned about her sexual experience. Would she sleep with a stranger if her mission demanded it? She answered truthfully: there had been no one before her husband, but if she was convinced the success of the mission depended on it, then she would. "It would purely be sex, not love," she explained to me.
In 2004, Cheryl joined a team of nine katsas - field intelligence officers - in London. Their task was to entrap Mordechai Vanunu, who had worked at Israeli's top-secret nuclear facility in the Negev desert, but had fled to London to try to sell his story. Mossad had to stop him from doing so, and Cheryl was chosen as the bait to trap him.
Using her seduction skills, she "came alongside" Vanunu in Leicester Square. Their relationship quickly developed, and Vanunu suggested they spend the night together. Cheryl agreed, saying they should go to Rome and "enjoy a few romantic days in the city of love", as she put it to me.Five members of the Mossad team were passengers on the flight Cheryl and Vanunu took to Rome. In the old quarter of the city, Cheryl led the way up to an apartment she had told Vanunu belonged to her sister. Already waiting inside were the Mossad katsas from the flight. They overpowered Vanunu, injecting him with a paralysing drug. Three days later he had been tranferred to Haifa in Israel. A swift trial and a life sentence in solitary confinement followed. Cheryl Ben-Tov disappeared back into her secret world.
She resigned from Mossad after the Vanunu case. It had "burned" her as an agent, she told me. Today she lives back in Orlando, with her husband and two daughters, running a real estate business.
Amy,
Stay with the Blogging.
It's a lot less dangerous.
You are very good at this.
Sometimes the Mossad ladies don't make it back from an assignment.
Ken at February 22, 2010 1:23 AM
This story, true or not, illustrates that Israel is not your friend, regardless of how they have come to this state.
Radwaste at February 22, 2010 2:25 AM
So, she was born an American citizen or not? Quite frankly if thats true, to me she's a traitor having worked directly for a foreign security service.
Sio at February 22, 2010 3:03 AM
From the intrique and danger of that to selling real estate must be a weird transition.
lovelysoul at February 22, 2010 5:38 AM
The last time I checked, Israel was an ally of the United States.
This is about as treasonous as the American Eagle squadron, which fought for Great Britain in WWII before the United States joined the war.
If you are looking for traitors, you could start with the Ft Hood shooter. If you want to slander the woman, you could start with her willingness to betray her marital vows. You'll get no argument from me.
MarkD at February 22, 2010 6:32 AM
Honey West strikes again!
donna at February 22, 2010 6:33 AM
Yet another lesson for you men that a woman who walks up to you wanting sex is probably up to no good.
momof4 at February 22, 2010 6:47 AM
M4, we get that point beaten into our heads every year in our security briefings. And that's one reason that if you are a married person with a clearance, and you have an affair, it's considered adverse information and can result in you losing your clearance.
If you're up for some more interesting reading about unusual people in the intel world, google "Moe Berg".
Cousin Dave at February 22, 2010 7:50 AM
When the Israeli's put together a successful spy caper, the world bitches. If it was the Brits, or French, the world would applaud.
It's not as if the Mossad, CIA, and MI-5 are infallible. However if their respective governments feel an action is necessary, it's not the agent who should be attacked. Cheryl may have been an American citizen, but felt an allegiance to Israel (which as someone else has said - is a US ally). Her moral compass is her guide, its nobody else's business.
As an aside, Seymour Hersh's book on Vanunu (The Samson Option) is pretty interesting. I personally have never been able to reconcile whether Vanunu was a traitor, or hero.
Arty at February 22, 2010 8:00 AM
"And that's one reason that if you are a married person with a clearance, and you have an affair, it's considered adverse information and can result in you losing your clearance."
I thought that was the most valid objection to Clinton's affair - not that we should really care who he sleeps with otherwise but that he was the PRESIDENT, and privy to such top-secret information, yet he still allowed himself to be vulnerable to blackmail or spying. Luckily, Monica was just a naive, infatuated intern, but it could've turned out differently.
lovelysoul at February 22, 2010 8:41 AM
Nuclear scientist in the wind....marital vows...
I know which way my scale tilts pretty heavily, and it doesn't weigh in favor of "I do."
Female sexuality has had a role in covert ops since people got organized enough to run such operations.
If she'd worked against the U.S. and was an American citizen, yes I'd call her a traitor and happily see her fry for it.
But there's no account of that happening, so I can't use the word traitor.
Robert at February 22, 2010 9:23 AM
"The last time I checked, Israel was an ally of the United States."
Sure they are.
Radwaste at February 22, 2010 3:11 PM
So Israel runs an op against an Israeli target in London and this somehow illustrates that Israel is not America's friend. I don't see how.
kishke at February 22, 2010 3:13 PM
Well, Israel did sic Johnathan Pollard on us. But I'm willing to chalk that one up to bad judgment on the part of someone in Jerusalem (or was it Tel Aviv then?). Besides, in the area of conducting industrial espionage against one's allies, Israel's got nothin' on France and Germany.
Cousin Dave at February 22, 2010 4:29 PM
In 2005, I began a series of interviews with Mordechai Vanunu and have met with him on all 7 of my trips to Jerusalem.
Legend has it that Vanunu flew to Rome from London with Cindy/Cheryl, just to have sex, although opportunity for that already existed in London.
When I asked Vanunu what was he thinking when he took off to Rome with her, he looked me directly in the eyes and immediately replied, "No, it wasn't like THAT. A tabloid paper published a story with some of the photos of the Dimona I had taken. They never contacted me for my side of the story but they published my photo with a bad report; lots of lies. I knew I was in danger and I wasn't sure if the Times would still print my story. I thought I would just leave London with her for a few days."
View 2005, 2006, 2008 video interviews with Vanunu and learn all about his FREEDOM OF SPEECH Trial @ http://wearewideawake.org
The Vanunu Saga 2005-2010
eileen fleming at February 22, 2010 5:49 PM
Learn lots about Cindy/Cheryl:
"Messing with the Mossad because Big Brother won't RSVP"
http://wearewideawake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1257&Itemid=219
eileen fleming at February 22, 2010 5:57 PM
One woman who did very valuable underground work during WWII, and who is happily still with us, is Jeannie de Clarens, code name AMNIARIX:
http://photoncourier.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_photoncourier_archive.html#576046678470921394
david foster at February 23, 2010 8:36 AM
Ah, yes. As always, it is the female of the species which is more dangerous!
Jay R at February 23, 2010 11:16 AM
Every single official American report acknowledges that the attack on the USS Liberty was an accident, a case of mistaken identity.
Yes, they meant to sink the ship. NO, they did not mean to sink an AMERICAN ship.
Robert at February 23, 2010 12:56 PM
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