Iosi, the Remorseful Spy

A gripping true crime tale of espionage, Jewish history, and antisemitic mass terrorism in 1990s Buenos Aires.

An unresolved true story that echoes today, this book shows that even after the military regime ended in Argentina and there was a civilian government, military and national police remained racist and antisemitic.

José Pérez, a young intelligence agent of the Federal Police, receives orders from his bosses to infiltrate the Argentine Jewish community by posing as a Jew. The goal is to monitor the development of an alleged Jewish plan to take over Patagonia to create a second state of Israel, known as the “Andinia Plan.”

Iosi, the Hebrew name he chooses, blends in by learning the language, culture, history, religion, and politics of the Jewish people: he becomes a well-respected community leader and obtains valuable information that he passes on to his handler, the enigmatic and seductive Laura, or Red as she is called. Iosi soon understands that there is nothing suspicious going on within the Argentine Jewish community. Prone to amorous adventures, he lets himself go and falls madly in love with a young Hebrew teacher, marries her in secret and plans to convert and emigrate with her to Israel.

When the two most catastrophic terrorist attacks in Argentinian history take place, one against the Israeli embassy in 1992 and the other against Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA), a Jewish Community Centre in 1994, causing hundreds of deaths, Iosi grows fearful that the information he provided was used by his bosses to help organize the attacks. His bosses order him to abandon his mission and move away from Buenos Aires. But Iosi feels driven to get to the bottom of the story and he seeks out two Jewish journalists, Horacio and Miriam. Together, they strive for years to get Iosi’s story told. But after initial interest, every contact they make, from supposedly honest politicians to national and international Jewish organizations, ultimately turn their backs on them. Some people are killed, others lose their jobs or are removed from the case. There is no end. This is a true story and it continues unresolved to this day.