Shulamit "Shula" Kishik-Cohen (, , also Shulamit Cohen-Kishik) (1917 – 21 May 2017) was an

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i spy who worked to smuggle Jews from Arab countries into Israel. She was noted for her missions in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

and work for the Mossad.

Biography

Kishik-Cohen was born in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, immigrated to Mandatory Palestine as a child, and grew up in the

Mekor Baruch Mekor Baruch ( he, מקור ברוך, lit., "blessed source" or "fountain of blessing") also spelled Makor Baruch, is a neighborhood in Jerusalem. The neighborhood is bordered by Malkhei Yisrael Street to the north, Sarei Yisrael Street to the wes ...

neighborhood in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. She studied at the

Evelina de Rothschild Evelina Gertrude de Rothschild (25 August 1839 – 4 December 1866) was an English socialite and a member of the Rothschild banking family of England. Biography Evelina de Rothschild was the daughter of Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808–1879), ...

School. At the age of 16, she married a Lebanese-Jewish merchant named Yosef. The couple lived in

Wadi Abu Jamil Wadi Abu Jamil is the former Jewish quarter in Beirut, Lebanon, located in the city's central district. History Formally known as ''Wadi al-Yahoud'' (meaning "Valley of the Jews"), the quarter was the center of the Lebanese Jewish community, wi ...

, the Jewish quarter in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

and raised seven children. Her son, Itzhak Levanon, is an Israeli diplomat who was Israel's ambassador to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. In Beirut, she began working in the local Jewish community and even established contacts with the authorities. Throughout Lebanon, Jews were smuggled to Israel under the noses of the Lebanese authorities. At the beginning of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, she transferred information about Lebanese military activity to the headquarters of the Haganah in

Metulla Metula ( he, מְטֻלָּה) is a town in the Northern District of Israel. Metula is located next to the northern border with Lebanon. In it had a population of . Metula is the northernmost town in Israel. History Bronze and Iron Age Metula ...

. She continued her espionage activities without the knowledge of her family, sending her two older children to Israel for their own safety. Kishik-Cohen continued to gather intelligence from Lebanon and Syria from 1947 to 1961. She assisted the Mossad in bringing the Jews of Lebanon and other Arab countries to Israel. Her Mossad codename was "The Pearl." She was caught in 1952 and imprisoned for 36 days. In 1961, Kishik-Cohen was arrested by the Lebanese authorities. After being severely tortured her trial started in November 1962. At first announcing a death sentence the court changed it to 20 years. In August 1963 following her appeal it was reduced to seven years. Her husband was also arrested and accused of knowing about his wife's activities. In August 1967 she was released as part of the prisoner exchange deal following the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...

and resided in Jerusalem until her death in 2017. In 2007, on the 59th Independence Day of the State of Israel, Kishik-Cohen was selected to light a torch at the annual torchlighting ceremony. In 2010 she was awarded the title of

Yakir Yerushalayim Yakir Yerushalayim ( he, יַקִּיר יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; en, Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) is an annual citizenship prize in Jerusalem, inaugurated in 1967. The prize is awarded annually by the municipality of the City of Jerusalem to o ...

. In November 2011, she won the Dona Gracia Medal. Shulamit Kishik-Cohen died on 21 May 2017 at the age of 100, at

Hadassah Medical Center Hadassah Medical Center ( he, הָמֶרְכָּז הָרְפוּאִי הֲדַסָּה) is an Israeli medical organization established in 1934 that operates two university hospitals in Jerusalem – one in Ein Karem and one in Mount Scopus –, ...

in Jerusalem, at the

Mount Scopus Mount Scopus ( he, הַר הַצּוֹפִים ', "Mount of the Watchmen/ Sentinels"; ar, جبل المشارف ', lit. "Mount Lookout", or ' "Mount of the Scene/Burial Site", or ) is a mountain (elevation: above sea level) in northeast Je ...

campus.

References

External links

Shula, code name the Pearl
by Aviezer Golan and Danny Pinkas at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kishik-Cohen, Shulamit 1917 births 2017 deaths People convicted of spying for Israel People of the Mossad Argentine Jews Argentine prisoners sentenced to death Israeli people of Argentine-Jewish descent Israeli prisoners sentenced to death Argentine emigrants Immigrants to Mandatory Palestine Israeli Jews Israeli centenarians Women centenarians Prisoners sentenced to death by Lebanon Burials at Har HaMenuchot