Peter Malkin
Encyclopedia
Peter Zvi Malkin (May 27, 1927 – March 1, 2005), was an Israel
i secret agent
, and member of the Mossad
intelligence agency. Malkin was part of the team that captured Adolf Eichmann
in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to Israel to stand trial.
, Poland
, to an observant Jewish family. In 1936, his family fled to Palestine
to escape the rising tide of German anti-Semitism
; his sister, Fruma, and her three children who remained behind with 150 other relatives, died in the Holocaust. At the age of twelve, Malkin was recruited into the Haganah
. In 1950, he was invited to join the new Jewish state's fledgling security service as an explosives expert.
ian weapons development program after World War II
.
Malkin's most famous mission was on May 11, 1960, when he and a team of Mossad agents led by Rafi Eitan
captured Adolf Eichmann
, a top Nazi official who played a principal role in organizing the Shoah
(Nazi Holocaust), in Argentina
. "One moment, sir" were the words he uttered as he approached Eichmann on the shoulder, before wrestling him to the ground and putting him in the getaway car.
In 1989, Israeli newspaper Maariv
cited him as "one of the greatest figures ever in the history of the Mossad." Israeli journalist Uri Dan called him "an extraordinary secret warrior."
He is said to have been involved in the search for Yossele Schumacher
in the 1960s
.
as Adolf Eichmann, was based on his book.
Malkin spent his last years in New York
with his wife Roni and their three children. He died on March 1, 2005.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
, and member of the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
intelligence agency. Malkin was part of the team that captured Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to Israel to stand trial.
Biography
Malkin was born in Lower Silesia, a province of Germany prior to 1945, currently ZolkiewkaZólkiewka
Żółkiewka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Strzegom, within Świdnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, to an observant Jewish family. In 1936, his family fled to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
to escape the rising tide of German anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
; his sister, Fruma, and her three children who remained behind with 150 other relatives, died in the Holocaust. At the age of twelve, Malkin was recruited into the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
. In 1950, he was invited to join the new Jewish state's fledgling security service as an explosives expert.
Mossad career
Malkin spent 27 years in the Mossad, first as an agent and later as Chief of Operations. As Chief of Operations he played a major role in the capture of Israel Beer, a Soviet spy who had penetrated the highest levels of Israeli government. He also led an operation against Nazi nuclear rocket scientists who assisted an EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian weapons development program after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Malkin's most famous mission was on May 11, 1960, when he and a team of Mossad agents led by Rafi Eitan
Rafi Eitan
Rafael "Rafi" Eitan is an Israeli politician and former intelligence officer. Today he leads Gil and is a former Minister of Pensioner Affairs. In the past, he was in charge of the Mossad operation that led to the capture of Adolf Eichmann...
captured Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
, a top Nazi official who played a principal role in organizing the Shoah
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
(Nazi Holocaust), in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. "One moment, sir" were the words he uttered as he approached Eichmann on the shoulder, before wrestling him to the ground and putting him in the getaway car.
In 1989, Israeli newspaper Maariv
Maariv
Maariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
cited him as "one of the greatest figures ever in the history of the Mossad." Israeli journalist Uri Dan called him "an extraordinary secret warrior."
He is said to have been involved in the search for Yossele Schumacher
Yossele Schumacher
Yossele Schumacher is an Israeli whose abduction as a child became a cause célèbre in Israel and led Shin Bet and its director Isser Harel on a worldwide search for his whereabouts.-Abduction:...
in the 1960s
.
Later years
After retiring in 1976, Peter Malkin devoted his time to painting, a profession he used as a cover during his Mossad years. He has also authored five books, and served as a private international consultant on anti-terrorism methods. The movie, "The Man Who Captured Eichmann" (1996) starring Robert DuvallRobert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
as Adolf Eichmann, was based on his book.
Malkin spent his last years in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with his wife Roni and their three children. He died on March 1, 2005.