The High Court of Justice has unveiled a spy story about a double agent with a double name that was a closely guarded secret of Israeli security for more than 30 years.
The Israeli daily Ma’ariv last week revealed for the first time details of a closed trial in 1959 at which a “mole” planted by Polish intelligence in 1950 was convicted.
The spy, a Polish Jew named Levy Levy, worked from 1950 to 1957 for Warsaw and for the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service. The High Court permitted the revelation when it accepted an appeal by the newspaper to publish the story.
According to details now released, Levy worked for the Polish intelligence services monitoring Jewish and Zionist organizations, particularly underground routes to Palestine before Israel gained independence.
He immigrated to Israel in 1948, served in the Israel Defense Force and was recruited by Shin Bet in 1950.
Although the secret service knew of his Polish intelligence activities, they decided to “turn” him as a double agent.
He was caught with the help of two other Polish Jews who had immigrated to Israel after serving in Polish intelligence.
The court found that Levy did not spy for Poland for ideological reasons but was recruited as an informer, possibly by blackmail.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1959 and served his full time. His present whereabouts have not been revealed.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
