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Sylvia Rafael: The Life and Death of a Mossad Spy (Foreign Military Studies) Hardcover – August 15, 2014

by Ram Oren (Author),
Moti Kfir (Author)
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Moti Kfir (Author), Shlomo Gazit (Ret.) (Foreword)
4.3 out of 5 stars 43 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Series: Foreign Military Studies
  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: University Press of Kentucky (August 15, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 081314695X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0813146959
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsService as a Mossad "combatant"
By James Denny on March 17, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Ram Oren and Moti Kfir's biography, "Sylvia Rafael" reveals a lot but not everything about the background, life and mission(s) of Mossad "combatant" Sylvia Rafael. Rafael was a South African by birth who came from a mixed marriage. A profound experience as a girl when she met a distant cousin, a survivor of the Holocaust, led her to embrace the cause of the Jewish state as her life's mission.

Following college graduation, she distanced herself from her family when she moved to Israel and became a teacher. She was recruited by the Mossad in her mid-twenties and became an agent or "combatant," the term preferred by the authors for a period of more than ten years. The authors explain some aspects of the the training she received as an agent and reveal some of the missions she was a part of. However, I am left with the distinct impression that the authors held back nearly as much as they reveal, most likely for security reasons or perhaps, because some of the missions she was a part of were blatantly illegal, politically sensitive or morally unpalatable.

Following a disastrous screw-up of a mission in Norway, the purpose of which was to assassinate the leader of the Black September movement and where instead, an innocent Moroccan is mis-identified and brazenly killed by Mossad agents on a public street, Rafael was tracked down and arrested. She was convicted and imprisoned for a period of time. However, the Norwegian government treated her with deference and a light touch. Her sentence in a minimum-security facililty was quietly commuted long before its mandate.

Rafael burned herself out with this last, failed mission and chose to leave Mossad service. The remaining years of her life are improbable and unexpected so I won't give it away. I have little doubt that she may have served the State of Israel in some capacity as a trainer or speaker but she no longer participated on missions.
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5.0 out of 5 starsSylvia deserved better, those she served deserved less than what she ...
By Larry J. Crocker on November 23, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
A riveting, exciting and heartbreaking story of a woman who gave everything she had to what she believed in, only to be discarded by those whom she served when it was expedient to them. Sylvia deserved better, those she served deserved less than what she rendered to them. She was truly the person of superior character in this so oft repeated story of life.
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5.0 out of 5 starsHighly recommended! An interesting read.
By Amazon Customer on December 15, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed reading this biography of a Mossad spy, co-written by a retired high ranking offical in the Mossad who trained her.
I enjoyed learning about the secret world of the Mossad and the special woman Sylvia Rafael was.
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4.0 out of 5 starsI enjoyed reading the account of Sylvia Raphael's life
By AMC on November 9, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading the account of Sylvia Raphael's life, however it was focussed on the hunt for Ali Hassan Salameh but it would have been interesting to read about other missions she was involved in.
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5.0 out of 5 starsSuch an interesting story - being a spy is no ...
By R. Lee on November 5, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Such an interesting story - being a spy is no picnic when you give up your life and sacrifice to save your country- a totally selfless act which in most cases is never recognized.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFantastic novel. This was highly informational regarding the history ...
By John on October 23, 2014
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Fantastic novel. This was highly informational regarding the history of Israel and the problems they have to contend with just to survive.
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5.0 out of 5 starsReads like a novel
By Maxmil on November 21, 2014
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Reads like a novel. That makes the story more impressive. A small piece of history that I feel lucky to come across.
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5.0 out of 5 starsIsrael will survive; what about us?
By Charles A. Krohn on June 15, 2015
Format: Hardcover
The theme of this book: Kill an Israeli and prepare to die."

The American theme: "Kill an American and prepare to hire a lawyer."

This may not be the greatest book ever written, but it is perhaps one of the most provocative for a reader willing to ask questions.
Where does Israel find so many executioners willing to do service to the state? Are Israel's intelligence services really as good as they seem? Are there effective Arab counters? Does Hezbollah really stand much of a chance if Israel decides to take them down? Why is Israel so uncompromising while we are too often willing to redraw the line? Did Jimmy Carter understand the real Arafat he invited to Camp David?

Why is the Palestinian issue so important to Muslims, while much of the Muslim world is in flames of contradictions, confusion, competition, violence, sectarianism and insanity?
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