Unmasked CIA Spy Remembered at Chabad

MONROE, NY [CHI] — Every weekday morning, Mitch Wenzel of Monroe, NY dons Tefilin in memory of his son, Gregg, who was tragically killed in Ethiopia on July 9, 2003 at the age of 33.

In fact, the Tefilin Mitch dons belonged to his son. They were among the personal belongings returned to the family after his death.


Now Mitch can also reveal that once a year he dons his son’s Tefilin during the memorial ceremony at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Va., right near his son’s recently inscribed name in the book of fallen officers, and right under the stars in their memory.

When Gregg was killed, the obituaries said he was a U.S. Foreign Officer killed by a drunken driver in the streets of Addis Ababa.

On Monday, June 1, the public learned the State Department job was a cover for his real occupation: CIA Spy.

At the annual memorial service commemorating those who died in the line of duty, attended by hundreds of employees, retirees and family members, CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed Wenzel’s affiliation with the agency and noted Wenzel was a member of the first clandestine service class to graduate after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“During months of rigorous training, Gregg stood out as a leader, for his talent and for his intellect, but also for his great sense of humor and a great penchant for fun,” CIA Director Leon Panetta said. “He helped unite the class and kept its spirits high in the toughest moments.”

He was a patriot who loved his country and believed that he could make a difference as a CIA Agent.

In July 2003, Wenzel was driving through the city at dusk with a high-ranking Ethiopian official when a zig-zagging driver – an Ethiopian working for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization – swerved into his path, Wenzel’s parents told the Times Herald Record. Both Wenzel and his passenger died in the collision.

The actual circumstances remain murky, Mitch Wenzel told the Daily News.
Gregg left his job as an attorney in Miami to join the agency. He was 33 years old when the car he was riding in was hit by a drunken driver, who to this day remains a fugitive.

There are now 90 stars prominently displayed on the memorial wall in the spacious atrium of CIA headquarters, each commemorating an officer, like Wenzel, who died while serving the country.

For six years, Gregg’s affiliation with the CIA and nature of his service was unknown to the public so as not to compromise secret operations.

Mitch had requested his son’s true profession be revealed several times since his death, most recently in a Dec. 18 letter to then-President Bush.

“I asked President Bush to do a Mitzvah for our family before he leaves office,” Wenzel said.

Gregg Wenzel grew up in the Bronx and Monroe and graduated from Monroe-Woodbury High School in 1987. He went on to become a lawyer and a public defender in Miami. While in Miami, Gregg was involved with Chabad on Wheels, under the directorship of Rabbi Zev Katz. Gregg joined the CIA in 2000.

Gregg brought his love and passion for Judaism and Jewish learning into the lives of many people he knew.

“Gregg was born on the 18th, which is “Chai” in Hebrew” his mother, Gladys, said “was so appropriate for Gregg who knew how to live life to the fullest.”

In 2004, When Chabad opened in Orange County, the hometown of the Wenzel family, under the directorship of Rabbi Pesach & Chana Burston, the Wenzel family created the Gregg David Scholarship Fund (www.ChabadOrange.com) enabling scholarships for children to attend Chabad Hebrew School. “This Scholarship will help to ensure that Gregg’s memory will be for a blessing” the family said.

Gregg lived by this philosophy: “Take time every day to help someone. It is the little acts of random kindness that, in the end, make a bigger difference”

Rabbi Pesach Burston was invited by the Wenzel family to join them at the Memorial Ceremony on June 1st. When introduced to CIA Director Leon Panetta, Rabbi Burston said, “I got to know Gregg after he passed away; I got to know him through the wonderful things that the Wenzel family do, for so many, in Gregg’s memory. His soul must be so proud.”

“We all are” Panetta responded.