Beirut: Shula Cohen Was Arrested for Espionage in 1961

When Shula Cohen was arrested for espionage in 1961, Beirut society was shocked. How could such an elegant, classy high society woman turn out to be an Israeli spy?

Shulami 'Shula' Cohen was born of Jewish parents in Argentina and grew up in Israel. At 16, she was married off to a wealthy Lebanese Jewish businessman, Josef Kishik, and moved to Beirut.

It's not entirely clear how Cohen, codenamed 'The Pearl' became a spy for the Jewish Agency and then for the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, when it was formed in December 1949.

One theory is she'd always wanted to be involved in the building of Israel. Another is that she was recruited in Jerusalem and her marriage to Kishik was a "front".

Either way, Cohen carved out a prominent place in the higher echelons of Beirut society and hosted salons where she entertained and cultivated politicians, influential businessmen and senior army officers.

She used these parties, her cafes, casinos and her husband's Beirut shop to make contacts who'd enable her to provide intelligence to Israel and build a spy network.

Cohen was part of a huge operation called "Aliya Bet" to bring Jews from Arab countries through Lebanon into Palestine. Arabs were opposed to the settlement of Jews in pre-1948 Palestine so their transit had to be secret. Jewish emigration from Arab countries to Israel remained highly contentious post-1948 and so this smuggling continued for many years.

Cohen's trial began on October 27, 1961 and received huge media attention. But, interestingly, nothing came out during the trial about the many Lebanese and other Arab politicians who had been caught in her clandestine web.

On July 25, 1962 Cohen was sentenced to death. But due to international pressure, including from Israel, her sentence was commuted to 20 years.

Cohen only served six years of her sentence imprisoned in Beirut.

Israel took a large number of Arab prisoners during the second Arab-Israeli war in 1967 - and Cohen, among others, was exchanged for a number of Syrian, Lebanese and Egyptian soldiers in the summer of 1967.

Shula Cohen died in Jerusalem on May 21, 2017, aged 100. Also in 2017, the Lebanese authorities claimed to have made several arrests in connection with the passing of information to Mossad. Shula Cohen has passed away but her legacy lives on.

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