When Itzhak Izik Cohen decided to adopt a more Israeli sounding name, he naturally chose Levanon, the Hebrew version of Lebanon, where he was born, grew up and emigrated from when his mother, Shulamit Cohen Kishik, was released from prison.
She had been spying for Israel, helped Syrian Jewish youth clandestinely cross over and was considered a prime asset for military intelligence and Mossad. Levanon followed in her footsteps in a different fashion, joining the Foreign Ministry, serving throughout the world and culminating in Israel’s top Diplomatic assignments in the Middle East as Ambassador to Egypt, a dangerous post almost being over-run by a hateful mob.
