Israeli police today announced the suicide here of a Czechoslovak non-Jew who was believed to be the head of a spy ring in Israel. The man, Joseph Kupitzki, jumped out of the window and suffered injuries from which he died, when the police came to arrest him last Thursday on a tip from his Israeli wife.
Kupitzki came to Israel in 1948 and served in the Israeli Army for a while. During this period he met and married his wife, a resident of Tel Aviv. After his discharge from the army he obtained employment as a chauffeur for the American Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Police entered his apartment Thursday on a complaint from his wife, whom he was planning to divorce, to the effect that he possessed important secret documents. When the police attempted to arrest him, Kupitzki grew pale and said: “This will cost many Jewish lives in Czechoslovakia.” He then jumped out the window. He died in a hospital subsequently.
Among the documents found in his room were a membership card in the Czech Communist Party, receipts from the Czech legation in Tel Aviv, a list of Israeli residents from Czechoslovakia who were keeping up contact with relatives who remained in that country, and a number of documents relating to Mordecai Oren, Israeli citizen and Mapam leader arrested on anti-state charges in Prague.
All the documents were sent to the Foreign Ministry for examination. The Ministry is expected to lodge a protest with Czechoslovakia.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
