Shula Cohen , the true story of a Jewish Lebanese woman living, in the 1940s, in Wadi Abu-Jmil, an area in Beirut that used to gather a big community of Lebanese Jews.
For those of you who never heard of her, Shula Cohen was born in Jerusalem; at seventeen she married a wealthy Beirut merchant, with whom she raised seven children. She became a spy for Israel in Beirut, where her acceptance in Lebanese / Syrian social circles gave her unprecedented access to secret intelligence information.
It started in 1947, on the eve of Israel's war of Independence, when she stumbled on some military intelligence and sent it on to Israel. Immediately, the nascent intelligence services tapped her to smuggle Jewish refugees from Syria across the Lebanese border.
Shula helped thousands of Jews from Syria and Iraq come through Lebanon to Israel. She found escape routes for them by land, sea and air.
In the 1950s, she organized a spy ring based in a Beirut nightclub (Rambo Club), and obtained for the Mossad secret Lebanese and Syrian documents.
She was able to work for fourteen years before she was caught
Shula was arrested and convicted by the Lebanese government in the late 1950s, she spent seven years in prison –where she was repeatedly tortured- and was released in 1967, following the Six Day War as part of a prisoner's exchange.
Amazing that a movie, entitled “Shula Cohen, The pearl”, was playing in cinema theatres in Lebanon.
The reason they allowed it to play is that it distorts the truth and presents Shula as a prostitute/Madam/spy, who slept with high government officials, who gave away young girls to trap important Lebanese personalities; and who smuggled Jewish thieves into Israel.
Because of course, when Jews escape pogroms, it can’t be only to save their lives. In the narrow minded Lebanese mentality, they must be guilty of something. In the movie, the Lebanese Jews are accused of stealing and embezzling money, while escaping; and they are accused of doing a huge damage to the Lebanese economy (!).
In fact, the money they took along was only theirs and their only asset while they left behind lands and houses.
Shula, at the end of the “movie” is shown in prison, as a privileged convict.
The torture scenes are omitted.
Needless to specify that it is an amateur movie with a horrible music background. Costumes are catastrophic. Even the wig of the main actress is of a cheap halloween costume standard.
The acting is a disaster.
This cheap amateur movie was in cinema theatres in Lebanon, while Waltz with Bachir, who has been nominated and has won several important awards, has been banned…
43 comments:
I watched this story on Tv all i can say is blessing upon blessing to ms Cohen, and I wish I could watch Gods judgement on her captors/ tormenters.
she presented very young poor lebanese and armenian girls to High ranking lebanese officials and caught them in cameras and blackmailed those officials , to help Israel . they HAD to accept lots of concessions so not to hurt their reputation in Lebanon. she was a spy for a high calibre . she is a devious woman who reached her goal through threats and blackmails .
she was a high ranking prostitute too but later moved and lived among conservative ultra orthodox . how hypocrit is that .
Her life is a testimony to her love for her country, the Holy Land of Israel and for the Jewish people. She is nothing short of a heroic and inspirational women. She was selfless and courageous, and despite the nefarious torture that she endured -- she refused to succumb and give up any other people meaning that she would continue to endure physical pain and to be removed from her 6 children and husband. She protected many people as she aided their escape and then by shielding their identity so that others would not be captured. I highly esteem her and she is a real-life Ester in my books. She sacrificed her life, her comfort, her family -- even her fingernails and toe nails were removed by her torturers, and I think her teeth inclusive. You make up your own mind -- but in my books -- I don't know too many people with that much courage. I think she deserves to be honoured and respected.
It is laughable how the syrian and lebanese want to change history. If these officials were giving away info to prostitutes then they should be charged with treason. Are they to stupid to know better. God will have special "rewards" for those who tortued Ms. Cohen. I have a feeling she was tougher then her capturers
I watched the real Shula Cohen Interview by Michael Greenspan in "Against All Odds"
What an amazing woman!
Would it be that all of us women could possess such faith, love and courage!!
I watched the real Shula Cohen Interview by Michael Greenspan in "Against All Odds"
What an amazing woman!
Would it be that all of us women could possess such faith, love and courage!!
I love, admire and highly esteem Shula Cohen-- what a remarkably brave woman! She, like Queen Esther, helped save Israel! I think Shula deserves even more credit than Esther, because of the 7-long years of horrific torture she endured, and she NEVER relented--she NEVER revealed names. What a love for God and her people, the Jews, this woman has! And, if you see her interview with David Greenspan in the multi DVD series "Against All Odds", you'll witness she NEVER took any credit for herself! May her name be blessed forever!
Is Shula Cohen still alive? f there is any woman iI would like to meet, she is the one. Her bravery, courage and compassion is legendary. She is the modern day Esther who risked her life to save her nation. God bless you.
Just watched the movie "against all odds" and I have to say that I am very humbled by Mrs. Cohen. What a strong, courageous woman to endure such horrific torture for the love of her country and the love of her fellow Israeli's. She is a true hero. God's blessings on her and her family.
Amelia Hurtado "That all of us be put to such test of loyalty for God, and His people... would, could we pass such test? Lord God , please give me the faith, strength, love and loyalty to YOU (and breath in me )to say, "Yes". All for YOU and YOU'RE GLORY!"
You put so much value on Women that sleep around to save the so called Israel.
No Honor.
Mrs. Cohen is a hero. I pray blessings over her and her family, and for the Nation of Israel. What she did was brave and amazing. She is a modern day Queen Esther. God has promised to bless those who bless Israel. Know Israel that MANY gentiles as I, pray for your security and peace.
For those of you who understand Hebrew, here is an interview of Shula Cohen, her husband and children in a documentary shot by her grandson. She is very touching, although you sense a woman with a strong personality and will. Impressive.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ig8z_mossad-spy-shula-cohen-yyyyy-yyyyy_news
Wow, if I were Lebanese I wouldn't be declaring how a prostitute could infiltrate such upper, supposedly 'high' ranking official's hearts/pants and receive such privileged information for 14 years. This is obviously a very pathetic attempt to cover up the embarrassment of being outsmarted by a woman of Jewish ancestry.
Mrs Cohen you are a true Esther hayal, a woman of virtue to your fellow Jews and to our G-d who surely saved you from the jaws of death.
May G-d continue to bless you and your family!
Eshet chayal is what I wrote.
Esther hayal works, too!
Interestingly, I watched a documentary with my wife and I was amazed, we decided to instantly search more of her. She is indeed a woman of substance, full of resource, a pure example of perseverance, determination, strength, Boldness, carriage and character just to mentioned a few. She is one of the few who faith on the Lord is living and practical "even in catastrophies she saw God in it" in. Congress WBN we call this "a singular standard" she is indeed a standard to be learnt from. Shula, I will not wait till you die before I shower my tribute. Bravo a woman of substance, like Christ, Daniel and Friends, David and the Apostles. You a knowledge and skill. Incredible, you provide me an irrovocable secondary elimination. God Bless!!
May our Father in heaven pour his love into your hearts and ours in the name of Jesus Christ. I read the comments and it's clear that Shula Cohen as many other subjects is subject to different opinions. We thank the Father for Graceful Jesus. If you want to bless Israel, money, weapons, prayers for peace are not the real blessings. Introduce the Jews to the Prince of Peace this is the real peace. On the other hand, you all maybe living somewhere in this world. Why don't you ask for the Palestitians and how they are living in the worst conditions? If you know Christ that means their blood will be upon your heads, why don't you bless them as well? You're wasting time Defending or accusing Shula. What makes sense if she has the Son Jesus as no condemnation To the ones who believe in Christ no matter if she was prostitute or not!
The true beauty of Shula Cohen is that she played a major roll in fulfilling Bible prophesy. God brought Israel back, brought the Jewish people back into the land, gave the Jewish people their language back and will not take them out of existence again. Soon a Jewish Temple will be rebuilt on the area of the original Temple according to Bible Prophesy. Then the Messiah will return to rule the world from the throne of David. In fulfilling Bible prophesy by bring back the Jewish state of Israel, Shula Cohen is a name that should be remembered with Herzl, Ben Gurion, Weizmann, & Jabotinski because they all played a part in the formation of a Jewish state whether great or small. One day the Messiah will destroy the enemies of Zion and rule the world with a rod of iron from the throne of David and all people will know the name of the Lord from the greatest to the least.
After reading the last comment, I remembered God's heart. God is still searching for people having hearts as His. Is the purpose of the cross rebuilding old testament temple? God's looks for mercy and not sacrifices! God's plan is to have people helping him fulfill his prophecies? Does he need help? Or looking for Many david's hearts longing to see both Arabs & Jews having eternal life? It's sad that we are introducing a non merciful and non graceful God. How can you win Arabs to Christ while all the time you're not showing them Jesus but showing the condemnation of the Gentiles and the victory of Jews? The real temple is body of Christ and not the one in Jerusalem and the good news is that we became the temple of the Holy Spirit! Show love of Christ to Arabs and stop helping god! Fanatism, religious spirists, are of the anti- Christ!
Shula Cohen, is proof that trust and reliance on God the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is all we need to get through and difficulties. The story of this wonderful lady will be told to my Children, My Grandchildren, My Great Grandchildren....... Funny how no matter how much the Arabs try to destroy Israel God will always come through and fight for the Jews even if it is through specific individuals.
she is a slut, she fucked hundreds of arab men, i tell you she can be a porn star.
i wish hollywood would make a movie from this story without distorting the facts. i watched her doc on family Tv and was so moved... especially the part whre she said they took all her teeth out as part of the torture she endured. angelina jolie would potray her very well.
This lady is a traitor, she was born and raised in Lebanon and was Lebanese not Israeli, she betrayed her country in a very shameful way, using prostitution to extort people and having dual loyalties is nothing to be proud of, and those who are so moved by her "heroism" are a bunch of racists with a distorted culture and values.
Shalom from Levan
God bless Israel, Levanon and the world. Please do not condemn all lebanese at the same. You know that Lebanon has lost his freedom for long. Not all lebanese think evil against Israel. I'm just looking for Jewish History in Lebanon! Wonderful period, liberty and security. All respect for Shula Cohen. She has done her job courageously. Unfortunately at this time there were no human rights. I mean you know into this area Israel and Lebanon pearls of the Midlle-East, we had had a major beautiful commun stories...Hiram-Abi, Salomon Temple, navigation,...and Humus. I wish joy and peace for all of us particularly to Shlomo , Roman, my lost love Hedva, Sveta...Study colleages.
If your god is the true God..how did he let such a woman live and succeed? If it is as you say, would not a just God have brought her demise? She was not a Madam, she was a child of the one true God who calls Israel the apple of his eye. He used a very smart woman and he did not need her to bed men. He simply placed her in a position of favor for such a time as that and spared Israel as He will always do. She will never be destroyed
were you there to witness her prostitution. or do you do as everyone else and just follow what you were told because it was told it to you. even if she was suspected of prostitution...I would dare not to say that she did in fear of bearing false witness against her in front of a just and holy God who you will have to stand in front of and give an account for every word you have ever spoken and every deed you have ever done. in the end you will see every knee on earth and in heaven will bow before the one and only true God the God of Israel
Sexual Favors sold in Beirut
Shulamit sold her favors to hundreds of high government officials in Lebanon between 1947 and 1961. She attended to her customers in her private house in the district of Wadi abu Jamil in Beirut. The first Lebanese government official which Shula hunted down was Mahmoud Awad, who occupied six positions in the Lebanese government of the time.
Shulamit visited the office of Mr. Awad in order to renew her permit of residency in Lebanon. She dressed well and exposed herself to call his attention. During the meeting she realized that the officer was diverted from the official task at hand, looking at her body and making up pretexts for delaying the end of the meeting. She in turn left her passport in his office as a pretext, and after that she fixed a second meeting with him.
By 1956 Shula had expanded her prostitution business: she now owned five more brothels in different places in Beirut, to “fish in troubled waters” after interesting people from the Syrian and the Lebanese governments. The Mossad provided Shula with all the necessary recording equipment, like secrets cameras, to install in the bedrooms of her brothels. Shula engaged a very beautiful Armenian girl of age 14, Lucy Kobelian (or Kupelian) to her brothels as bait for fishing the hungry men. She succeeded in filming many Lebanese government officials with Lucy as well as other girls in her brothels. In this way she installed an army of sleepers within the political system of Lebanon, which hindered any decisions contrary to the interests of Israel. Given the indolent response bordering on irresponsibility from the Lebanese government to last years war of aggression from Israel, a younger generation of this army of sleepers may be in place to this day.
After Shula’s brothels had flourished due to “hard work”, she successively engaged more beautiful girls. Among the so engaged were the Jewish prostitutes Rachel Raffoul, apparently native from Aleppo, the sisters Marcella and Ronit Isberans from Greece, and “Fortune”. Rachel Raffoul already had a career in prostitution behind her in Lebanon: she brought along her own stock of clients, who eventually became the clients of Shula’s brothels. Shula herself, now a made woman, was in position to sell her favors to only selected clients, meaning the higher officials and the generals from both the Syrian and Lebanese governments.
Fraud and Bankruptcy
Through the work in her brothels and her cooperation with the Mossad, Shulamit Cohen carried out a perfect spying mission in Lebanon: she and her accomplices caused huge damage to the Lebanese economy. Uniting her effort with George Moloko from the Mossad, collaborating with the Israeli coordinating officer in Beirut Eduard Hess, and relying on the help of her clients, the Lebanese official Mahmoud Awad and others, she and her accomplices embezzled and stole millions from various Lebanese banks and companies.
This scandal was covered so as to avoid detection, and in the end just some minor Lebanese employees were ‘sacrificed’ to quite things down.Edward Hess spread rumors stating that the various Lebanese banks and companies from which they had stolen and embezzled money were “bankrupt”, when they were in fact not, thus causing panic among investors and traders and so deflecting the attention from what was really going on. The stolen monies were smuggled to Israel with the help of those among Shula’s clients who helped the trek of Jews from Lebanon and other Arab countries into Israel over mountain paths.
Among those who ran with the money was the Jewish trader Emil Natshoto, who escaped to Israel, as well as the Jewish trader from Tripoli Abraham Mizrahi, who escaped first to Greece and later made his way to Israel. Mizrahi’s fiancée Leila stayed back and cooperated in Shula’s network to organize the departure of other wealthy Jews from Lebanon.
Rambo Pub
The prosperity which Shula’s Mossad mission brought her, and which she achieved under the cover of her clients from the Lebanese government, prompted her to establish a center for contacting her spies. She rented a Cafeteria in Al-Hamra’a Street, and converted it into a Pub which she called “Rambo Pub”.At the “Rambo Pub”, many beautiful girls were engaged to hunt Shula’s clients for the Mossad. One of the people Shula recruited in this way was a simple Lebanese, Muhammad Saed Al-Abed Allah, who knew the mountain paths to sneak into Israel well. Muhammad al-Abed Allah had received good services at Shula’s night pub. He brought in his relatives Fayez and Nasrat Al-Abed Allah to receive the same services, and because they had offered to work for money. Since Shula also had business with Iraq, it looks like Lebanon was a staging are for the Iraqi Jews on their way to Israel, who were terrorized out of that country by false-flag bombings perpetrated by the Mossad with the unwitting help of the British troops present in that country.
These three relatives worked as messengers between Shula in Lebanon and the Mossad in Israel. Shula prepared her reports about the Lebanese and Syrian governments, and the three delivered them to Israel through the mountain paths. The three relatives earned good money from Shula, and the were additionally paid off with the sexual favors of the most beautiful girls at the pub. These three from the Al-Abed Allah family helped many Jews to run away from Lebanon to Israel.
Finally, the Mahmoud Awad, the government officer who had covered Shula’s operations in Lebanon, asked her for some money as a price for his services. Shula became very angry, as she had filmed him with five young girls receiving their “night services”, but in the end Mossad accepted his demands, and gave him what he wanted.
In 1958, a Syrian officer had informed a Lebanese officer about the suspected work of Shula. He got a negative and astonishing response from his colleague, “Shula is above any kind of suspicions !”.
On 9 August 1961, after 14 years of spying and working for the Mossad, Colonel Aziz Al-Ahdab arrested Shulamit Cohen, her husband Josef Kishik, Rashel Raffoul, the Lebanese official Mahmoud Awad, Muhammad, Fayez and Nasrat Al-Abed Allah and 22 other Jewish and Lebanese persons who had worked together in her spying net.
On 25 July 1962, Shulamit Cohen was sentenced to death, which sentence was later commuted to 20 years in jail. Her friend Rachel Raffoul was sentenced to 15 years in jail, and her husband Josef Kishik was released after he appealed. The Lebanese official Mahmoud Awad conveniently died of a heart attack in June 1962, while in jail and one month before the trial.
In 1967, Shulamit Cohen, Rachel Raffoul and two of the Jewish prostitutes were released in a secret prisoner exchange after the Six Day War: they were exchanged against three officers of the Syrian air force (the official version states that they were exchanged for “over 500 prisoners”).
Today Shula is a national hero of Israel and her story has been whitewashed and made “apt for public consumption”. She lives in the oldest Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem, Mea Shearim, a settlement which is part of Ramot. It is the neighborhood of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish fundamentalists, the Haredim, who are probably ignorant of her past. Rachel Raffoul lives in Tel Aviv and has a son and a daughter, who both carry other family names. Of the other “girls” nothing is known.
You are demented liar. Enjoy every second of life because it ends in judgment, so have fun with that
When a woman is jumped, beaten unconscious, and then raped...it does not later mean she is a prostitute. I believe most of the Muslim people I know are too intelligent to make statements like that. In an Arabic country if she was married then was a prostitute, the courts would have hung her shortly after her arrest.
God bless Shula Cohen and all of Israel. Glory to God Almighty Father, Lord Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit..One God forever and ever, Amen
You have believed a lie I have watch her movie on American soil and her story is redemption
Well what I know is if Shula Cohen did all these things that some consider great and biblical and others consider bad and sinful, the woman have to receive Christ.
Without Christ all we are going to hell no matter our religion is including Shula Cohen. She needs to know like everyone of us that only the blood of Jesus can wash her sins away. Repentance, faith in Jesus who died on the cross.
We are saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus and not by works and law.
Please stop this debate as it is a waste of time and focus on the fact where everyone of us will be spending his eternity? Cohen will be in hell without Jesus as saviour.
Even if she was a prostitute the fact that she worked to save even one persons life also a jews life deems her a woman of courage in my eyes.
You have quite an imagination. You are also quite a liar. Shula is a hero and will be known and remembered as such. As your name implies, you will be remembered not. And neither will your lies about her. God bless Shula Cohen and her family! Praise be to Yeshua HaMashiach the King!
May Has hem bles her.
Shula Cohen saved many Syrian and Iraqi Jews who were then able to get to Israel and live in safety away from those Barbarian Jew-haters who live on a daily diet of
'Mein Kampf'
NAZI Jew-hate reading.
Tortured, confined, dehumanized. Because of prostitution!!!??? Right...revictimizing the victim is typical Islamic M.O. They certainly attempted to steal her dignity through unspeakable acts and then labeled her a prostitute because that's what they do after they rape woman...and goats!! They delude themselves that the women is soiled and they walk away guilt free. What a lie from the pit of hell. Schula survived because she is a miracle of God's mercy!! Sorry "peaceful muslims". Your claim of being a peaceful people means nothing when your book glorifies the slaughter of those who do not convert to Islam!! I stand with Israel!! BTW I'm not Jewish. I'm Catholic. I know what is right. There is no good fruit from Islam because it is based on lies and hate. I feel awful for innocent Palestinians who lose their lives when Israel defends itself. Israel sends flyers of warning to Palestinians before they launch attacks. They treat them at their hospitals. Do your research. Give yourself the gift of truth. The truth will set us free.
Shula is G-d’s Gift to Jewish people
Amazing, courageous woman
I can’t think of anybody nowadays who come close
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