Cheryl Ben-Tov
 Cheryl Ben-Tov  | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960 |
| Known for | Capturing Mordechai Vanunu |
Cheryl Ben-Tov, born Cheryl Hanin in 1960, was an Israeli Mossad agent who became well-known in 1986 when, under the name "Cindy", she persuaded former Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu to go with her to Rome, where he was captured, drugged, and transported to Israel. Vanunu faced a secret trial and was sentenced to 18 years in prison, spending nearly 12 of them in solitary confinement.
A feature in The London Times in April 2004 [1] revealed that Hanin was American-born but had moved to Israel as a teenager. She grew up in Pennsylvania and Orlando, Florida in a Jewish family. Her father, Stanley Hanin, had founded Allied Discount Tires.
She spent a term in Israel during high school at the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education in Hod Hasharon, and upon her graduation in 1978, joined the Israeli Army. In 1985, she married Ofer Ben-Tov, himself an Israeli intelligence officer, and at some point before 1986 was recruited and trained by the Mossad. In 1986, she participated in the abduction of Mordechai Vanunu.
Calling herself Cheryl Hanin, she now works as a real estate agent in Longwood, Florida, with her husband and their two daughters. In 1988, newspaper journalists traced her to her home in Netanya, Israel, where she still owns a villa that she rents out. She does not deny her role in the "Cindy" affair.
According to a 2007 article in the Canada Free Press, while Bentov worked in the Mossad she was familiar with Israeli politician Tzipi Livni. She said that Livni was "like all of us, good at her job".
