Cheryl Bentov
Encyclopedia
Cheryl Ben Tov born Cheryl Hanin in 1960, is an American real estate agent and former Israel
i Mossad
agent who became well-known in 1986 when, under the name "Cindy", she persuaded former Israeli nuclear
technician Mordechai Vanunu
to go with her to Rome, where he was captured, drugged, and transported to Israel
. Vanunu faced a secret trial and was sentenced to 18 years in prison, spending nearly 12 of them in solitary confinement. Vanunu publicly released confidential information on Israel's nuclear reactor and claimed that Israel had created nuclear weapons, becoming the sixth nuclear power and the first since the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, of which Israel was not a signatory.
A feature in The Times
revealed that Hanin was American-born but had moved to Israel as a teenager. Hanin grew up in Pennsylvania
and Orlando
, Florida
in a Jewish family. Her father, Stanley Hanin, had founded Allied Discount Tires.
She spent a semester in Israel
during high school at the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education in Hod Hasharon
, and upon her graduation in 1978, joined the Israeli Army. In 1985, she married Ofer Ben Tov, himself an Israeli intelligence officer, and at some point before 1986 was recruited and trained by the Mossad. In 1986, she participated in the abduction of Mordechai Vanunu
.
Calling herself Cheryl Hanin, she now works as a real estate agent in Longwood
, Florida
, with her husband and their two daughters. In 1988, newspaper journalists traced her to her home in Netanya, Israel, where she still owns a villa that she rents out. She does not deny her role in the "Cindy" affair. Vanunu, immediately upon his release from prison in April 2004, said that he did not believe "Cindy" was a Mossad agent: "She was either an FBI or a CIA agent. I spent a week with her. I saw her picture. Cindy was a young woman from Philadelphia
."
According to a 2007 article in the Canada Free Press, while Bentov worked in the Mossad she was familiar with Israeli politician Tzipi Livni
. She said that Livni was "like all of us, good at her job".
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agent who became well-known in 1986 when, under the name "Cindy", she persuaded former Israeli nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
technician Mordechai Vanunu
Mordechai Vanunu
Mordechai Vanunu ; is a former Israeli nuclear technician who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986. He was subsequently lured to Italy by a Mossad agent, where he was drugged and kidnapped by...
to go with her to Rome, where he was captured, drugged, and transported to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Vanunu faced a secret trial and was sentenced to 18 years in prison, spending nearly 12 of them in solitary confinement. Vanunu publicly released confidential information on Israel's nuclear reactor and claimed that Israel had created nuclear weapons, becoming the sixth nuclear power and the first since the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, of which Israel was not a signatory.
A feature in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
revealed that Hanin was American-born but had moved to Israel as a teenager. Hanin grew up in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in a Jewish family. Her father, Stanley Hanin, had founded Allied Discount Tires.
She spent a semester in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
during high school at the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education in Hod Hasharon
Hod HaSharon
Hod HaSharon is a city in the Center District of Israel.Officially declared a city in 1990, Hod HaSharon was created from the union in 1964 of four neighboring villages: Magdiel, Ramatayim, Hadar, and Ramat Hadar...
, and upon her graduation in 1978, joined the Israeli Army. In 1985, she married Ofer Ben Tov, himself an Israeli intelligence officer, and at some point before 1986 was recruited and trained by the Mossad. In 1986, she participated in the abduction of Mordechai Vanunu
Mordechai Vanunu
Mordechai Vanunu ; is a former Israeli nuclear technician who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986. He was subsequently lured to Italy by a Mossad agent, where he was drugged and kidnapped by...
.
Calling herself Cheryl Hanin, she now works as a real estate agent in Longwood
Longwood, Florida
Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 13,745 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 13,491. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, with her husband and their two daughters. In 1988, newspaper journalists traced her to her home in Netanya, Israel, where she still owns a villa that she rents out. She does not deny her role in the "Cindy" affair. Vanunu, immediately upon his release from prison in April 2004, said that he did not believe "Cindy" was a Mossad agent: "She was either an FBI or a CIA agent. I spent a week with her. I saw her picture. Cindy was a young woman from Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
."
According to a 2007 article in the Canada Free Press, while Bentov worked in the Mossad she was familiar with Israeli politician Tzipi Livni
Tzipi Livni
Tzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...
. She said that Livni was "like all of us, good at her job".
External links
- Jerusalem Post article from April 7, 1997
- "The Spy -- And the Man She Busted" in the St. Petersburg Times
- "The Girl Who Trapped Vanunu", by Uzi Mahnaimi
- "Vanunu 'honeytrap' spy seeks quiet life in Florida" by Ian Mckinnon in The Times Online
- "The History of the Honey Trap" by Phillip Knightley for Foreign Policy