Juval Aviv
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Juval Aviv, also written as Yuval Aviv (born February 24, 1947), is the president of Interfor Inc., a corporate investigations firm in New York.[1] He is best known as the source of the 1984 book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas, on which Steven Spielberg's 2005 film Munich was based.[2][3]
Aviv is the author of The Complete Terrorism Survival Guide: How to Travel, Work and Live in Safety (2003); Staying Safe : The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business (2004); and a novel, Max (2006), based on the death of British publisher Robert Maxwell.
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[edit] Early life
According to Israeli journalist Yossi Melman writing in Ha'aretz, Aviv was born in Kibbutz Kfar Menachem in 1947 as Yuval Aviof.[2]
[edit] Involvement in Vengeance
In 1981, Aviv approached publishers with the story that he was a former Mossad officer who had led Operation Wrath of God, an operation to assassinate the Palestinian terrorists who planned the 1972 Munich massacre, in which 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage and murdered.
In a joint deal, two Toronto-based publishing houses, Lester & Orpen Dennys and Collins Canada Ltd, commissioned Canadian writer George Jonas to write Aviv's story.[4]
Jonas told Maclean's that he spent two years and $30,000 of the publishers' money conducting research with Aviv in Europe and Israel.[5] The result, in 1984, was Jonas's Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team, which depicted Aviv's character as "Avner".[6] According to Maclean's, which put together an 11-person investigative team to find out whether Aviv's story was true, the book generated $500,000 in advance foreign sales, as well as "worldwide debate in intelligence and publishing communities," and denial and skepticism in Israel.[5]
Senior Israeli intelligence sources, including Zvi Zamir who headed the Mossad from 1968-74, told Yossi Melman that they do not know anyone named Yuval Aviof or Aviv.[2] Jonas, Louise Dennys, and the president of Collins Canada, Nicholas Harris, told Macleans that they are satisfied that the story is genuine.[5] Jonas told Maclean's: "To my mind, if he is not legit, then he can only be a disgruntled ex-employee of Mossad with sufficient knowledge of what has gone down in this area. As far as I am concerned, if he is not who he says he is, then that is what he is."[5]
In 1986, the book was turned into a made-for-television movie, Sword of Gideon, starring Michael York,[7] and in 2005, it formed the basis of Steven Spielberg's Munich.
[edit] Recent publications
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Aviv published two terrorism survival guides: The Complete Terrorism Survival Guide in 2003, and Staying Safe in 2004. According to the publisher, the latter outlines the tools needed to become responsible for your personal security, and offers tips for safeguarding your home, and protecting your identity. Aviv's first novel, Max, was published in 2006, based loosely on the death of Robert Maxwell. His new novel, Flight 103 will be published by Random House UK in early 2008.
[edit] Works
- (2006) Max. Century, ISBN 1844138755
- (2003) The Complete Terrorism Survival Guide: How to Travel, Work and Live in Safety. Juris Publications, ISBN 1578231302
- (2004) Staying Safe : The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business. Collins, ISBN 0060735201
[edit] Book Reviews and Summaries
Staying Safe was published by Harper Collins in 2004. According to the Harper Collins website, www.harpercollins.com, in Staying Safe, Juval Aviv, a counterterrorism expert and international security consultant, outlines the essential tools for becoming personally responsible for the security and safety of yourself and your loved ones. He gives tips on how to safeguard your home and office, protect your identity, and travel without fear. Overall the recommendations and warnings are practical and easy to follow. However, the book is now several years old and could stand to be updated
[edit] Media Appearances
June 6, 2007 FOX5 News @ 10:00 with Lisa Evers--JFK Terror Plot
February 15, 2007 CBS News @ 5:00 (Phoenix)-Airport Security
December 14, 2006 FOX5 News @ 10:00 with Lisa Evers-The Blind Sheik-Will his death bring an increased risk of terrorism?
December 4, 2006 ABC Action News Tampa @ 5:00-Terrorism-What's next?
December 4, 2006 Fox 13-Your Turn hosted by Cynthia Smoot @ 12:30-Staying Safe-How to protect your self and your family from terrorism.
November 16, 2006 Channel 4 (UK) Starkey's Last Word-with David Starkey, Fiasco Royale-Is the Terror Threat as Bad as the Government Makes Out?
October 17, 2006 ABC Action News Tampa @ 5:30 - with Rob Spicker, Is Tampa A Target?
October 10, 2006 FOX5 News @10 - Discussion of the removal of Security Barricades in NY.
September 29, 2006 FOX5 News @10 - with Lisa Evers, Airport Security Post 9/11.
September 12, 2006 FOX and Friends - Juval Aviv interviewed about his latest book, MAX.
September 5, 2006 FOX5 News @10 - with Lisa Evers, TSA Security Breach.
August 23, 2006 FOX5 News @5 - with Dick Brennan, Travel Safety.
August 22, 2006 Good Day NY with Rick & Jodi - General discussion of terrorism.
August 21, 2006 FOX5 News @5 with Lisa Evers - General discussion of terrorism.
August 11, 2006 FOX5 News - Juval Aviv interviewed by Charles Leaf on airport security and the crisis in the Middle East.
August 11, 2006 CNN-The Situation Room Juval Aviv interviewed by Mary Snow on airport security and the crisis in the Middle East.
August 10, 2006 ABC News - Juval Aviv interviewed by Toni Yates regarding airport security.
August 10, 2006 CNBC - Juval Aviv interviewed by Wendy Furrer regarding airport security.
August 10, 2006 Channel 9 UPN News - Juval Aviv interviewed regarding airport security.
July 22, 2006 MSNBC - Juval Aviv interviewed regarding the events of Middle East.
July 29, 2006 FOX News - "Your World with Neil Cavuto." Juval Aviv interviewed by Neil Cavuto regarding the events in the Middle East.
July 13, 2006 Fox 29 Philadelphia - "Fox News." Juval Aviv interviewed by Michelle Williams regarding airport security and boarding pass indicators.
March 16, 2006 WVTV/Fox 13 - "Fox News." Juval Aviv interviewed by Brian Goff regarding terrorism and port security in the Florida area.
February 15, 2006 Fox5 News - "Fox News at 10." Juval Aviv interviewed by John Deutzman regarding Homeland Security dropping the no-fly list.
January 19, 2006 FOX News - "Your World with Neil Cavuto." Juval Aviv offered commentary on the latest Al-Qaeda tape.
[edit] References
- ^ Website of Interfor, Inc.
- ^ a b c Yossi Melman. "Spielberg could be on the wrong track", Haaretz, July 6, 2005.
- ^ Steven Emerson. "PanAm Scam", American Journalism Review, September 1992.
- ^ George Jonas. "The Spielberg Massacre", Macleans, January 7, 2006.
- ^ a b c d Robert Miller. "The 'Vengeance' Affair," Macleans, May 7, 1984.
- ^ Description of Vengeance on Jonas's website.
- ^ "Sword of Gideon", IMDb.
[edit] Further reading
- Snopes.com webpage on Juval Aviv, Updated 1 August 2007
- John Biewen. "Aviv: Fabricator or Smear Victim?", American Radio Works, March 2000.
- Matthew Lamb. "Flimsy plot from 'spy' writer," The Courier Mail, September 20, 2006.
- Roy McGibbon. "The Press Conference with Juval Aviv", The Press Gazette, July 21, 2006.
- Melman, Yossi and Steven Hartov, "Munich: Fact and Fantasy", The Guardian, 17 January 2006.
- Andrew Mueller. "Juval Aviv: The good assassin", The Independent, July 16, 2006.
- James Swan. "On Guard", The National Review, April 23, 2003.
- David Wise. "What Did Mossad Know, and When?", The New York Times, October 7, 1990.
