Sylvia Rafael
Encyclopedia
Sylvia Rafael Schjødt was a South African-born Israel
i Mossad
operative.
Born near Cape Town in 1937, she was the daughter of a Jewish father. Although her mother was not Jewish, Rafael immigrated to Israel in 1963, where she lived on a kibbutz
, later working as a teacher. She later moved to Tel Aviv
, where she was recruited by Mossad
. After training she attained the highest rank for a Mossad agent — “combattant”, qualified to operate in hostile countries. She was sent to Paris in the guise of a freelance journalist with a Canadian passport in the name of real life Canadian photojournalist Patricia Roxburgh. When the Israeli government decided to track down the Munich terrorists she provided valuable intelligence which led to the killing of three, before being assigned to an Operation Wrath of God
team herself.
Rafael was part of a group of Israeli Mossad
agents who assassinated a Moroccan-born waiter Ahmed Bouchiki, whom they had mistaken for Ali Hassan Salameh
, in Lillehammer
on 21 July 1973. The victim's pregnant Norwegian wife witnessed the murder. The murder is known as the Lillehammer affair
. She was arrested shortly after and convicted of murder
, espionage
and use of forged documents by Eidsivating Court of Appeal
on 1 February 1974. Sentenced to five and a half years in prison
, she was released after serving 15 months, and deported
from Norway in May 1975.
After her release, she married her defense attorney, Annæus Schjødt
, but was deported again after entering the country in 1977. Two years later she obtained a residence permit, but left the country with her husband in 1992 and settled in her native South Africa, where she died in 2005, aged 67, from leukaemia.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
operative.
Born near Cape Town in 1937, she was the daughter of a Jewish father. Although her mother was not Jewish, Rafael immigrated to Israel in 1963, where she lived on a kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
, later working as a teacher. She later moved to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, where she was recruited by Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
. After training she attained the highest rank for a Mossad agent — “combattant”, qualified to operate in hostile countries. She was sent to Paris in the guise of a freelance journalist with a Canadian passport in the name of real life Canadian photojournalist Patricia Roxburgh. When the Israeli government decided to track down the Munich terrorists she provided valuable intelligence which led to the killing of three, before being assigned to an Operation Wrath of God
Operation Wrath of God
Operation Wrath of God ,This title was an invention of later writers, and was most likely not used by the Mossad itself. also called Operation Bayonet, was a covert operation directed by Israel and the Mossad to assassinate individuals alleged to have been directly or indirectly involved in the...
team herself.
Rafael was part of a group of Israeli Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agents who assassinated a Moroccan-born waiter Ahmed Bouchiki, whom they had mistaken for Ali Hassan Salameh
Ali Hassan Salameh
Ali Hassan Salameh was the chief of operations—code name Abu Hassan—for Black September, the organization responsible for the 1972 Munich massacre and other attacks. He was also the founder of Force 17...
, in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
on 21 July 1973. The victim's pregnant Norwegian wife witnessed the murder. The murder is known as the Lillehammer affair
Lillehammer affair
The Lillehammer affair was the killing by Mossad agents of a Moroccan waiter, Ahmed Bouchiki, in Lillehammer, Norway on July 21, 1973. The Israeli agents had mistaken their victim for Ali Hassan Salameh, the chief of operations for Black September...
. She was arrested shortly after and convicted of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and use of forged documents by Eidsivating Court of Appeal
Eidsivating Court of Appeal
Eidsivating Court of Appeal is the court of appeal located in Hamar, Norway. It serves the counties of Hedmark, Oppland and northern Akershus. In addition to Hamar, the court may meet in Lillehammer and Eidsvoll...
on 1 February 1974. Sentenced to five and a half years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, she was released after serving 15 months, and deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
from Norway in May 1975.
After her release, she married her defense attorney, Annæus Schjødt
Annæus Schjødt, Jr.
-Personal life:He was born in Aker as a son of Annæus Schjødt and Hedevig Schjødt, née Petersen . He was a grandson of Attorney General Annæus J. Schjødt. His sister Karen Hedevig Schjødt married chief physician Thorstein Guthe....
, but was deported again after entering the country in 1977. Two years later she obtained a residence permit, but left the country with her husband in 1992 and settled in her native South Africa, where she died in 2005, aged 67, from leukaemia.