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Despite being away from home for months at a time, he fathered three children, Sophie, Irit and Shai. He soon established himself in the social and cultural life of the Syrian community of Buenos Aires and was known as a wealthy businessman who was generous, tipped well, and loved the night life. They even started to organize a ceremony for Eli at the 'Mossad' headquarters in Glilot. According to Maurice Cohen, this really happened. The Spy sees a friendship blossoming between Eli Cohen and Amin al-Hafiz, the future president of Syria, that begins as Cohen first goes undercover as Thaabet in Buenos Aires and mutually benefits them both for yearsright through to Cohen's discovery as an Israeli spy and subsequent execution. He then left the university and continued his studies at home. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. Decades after the Eli Cohen affair there are still many questions, some minor, others major - among them, the way in which Syrian counterintelligence identified the Israeli spy (from the archive). click the link in that email to complete your registration. In January 1947, he was enlisted in the Egyptian army as an alternative to paying the mandatory sum that all young Jews had to pay. The film featured John Shea as Eli. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Israeli ambassador, Itzhak Gerberg, would not comment on the report. He then moved to Damascus in February 1962, under his new identity, Kamel Amin Thaabet, to extract classified information from Syrian military officers. He had three brothers. [9], Syria refused to return Cohen's body to his family in Israel, and his wife Nadia sent a letter to Amin al-Hafiz in November 1965 asking his forgiveness for Cohen's actions and requesting his remains. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to Israel. At the end of 1961, Syria dissolved its union with Egypt, which had lasted a mere three years. had succeeded in friending a Saudi entrepreneur who had been contracted to plan and dig canals, the name was his friend was bin Laden, little Osama's father. The Syrian officer readily agreed and Eli immediately passed the information onto Israel. [34], The Israeli settlement Eliad on the Golan Heights is named for him.[35]. Nadia, understandably, has remained fixated on her loss. . Syrian security services led by Suidani broke into Cohen's apartment on 24 January and caught him in the middle of a transmission to Israel. Syrian counterintelligence eventually uncovered the spy conspiracy and convicted Cohen under pre-war martial law, sentencing him to death and hanging him publicly in 1965. Abdel Latif Hassan immediately wrote four letters one to his brother-in-law, two to friends in Beirut, and fourth to his son in Damascus. Various reports say that Biton was unveiled and offered the option of becoming a double agent. Nine months later, in late 1961, Eli came back to Israel for a visit with his wife Nadia. On August 31, 1959, he married a beautiful Iraqi-born Jew, Nadia Majald. Sacha Baron Cohen, the Mossad and Netflix. I send you my last kisses to you and to the children: Sophie, Irit, and Shaoul, and to the rest of my family, especially my mother. His training was extensive and exhaustive. The actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a . Irit does not know her father. [32], John Shea played Cohen in the television film The Impossible Spy (1987),[33] and Sacha Baron Cohen played him in the Netflix miniseries The Spy (2019). In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. He made friends who moved in highly influential Syrian circles, transmitting his findings back to Israel via radio. "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. In 1967, the Israelis were able to conquer the Golan Heights in two days in part due to the intelligence he provided. Eli, who would feign intoxication, remained sober and listened carefully., In addition to providing loans to government officials and acting as an avid host, he was asked for advice by government officials, who were often intoxicated by the alcohol he freely provided. "The Spy" depicts Egyptian-born Cohen - played by Sacha Baron Cohen - as an ambitious, Arabic-speaking immigrant to Israel who is recruited by Mossad and, overcoming his fears and the strains on his family, infiltrates the Damascus high command by posing as a rich scion of the Syrian diaspora. In 1960, Cohen was recruited to be part of a dangerous mission to Syria. Syria tortures him but he was still lying, his face was covered with wounds, his nail was pulled out. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Cohen's widow, Nadia, said that following the report she appealed directly to Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, demanding answers as to why the deal did not go through. [4] His father had moved there from Aleppo in 1914. In 1957, Eli joined the Israel Defense Forces as a counterintelligence analyst and later applied for the Israeli intelligence agency 'Mossad,' which rejected him. It was hard to see the distance from the truth in some parts of the series, Sophie Ben-Dor said in an interview with Channel 12 news. Today, one can see the former Syrian bunkers that remain on the Golan Heights from 1967 (as well as the tanks from 1973). Israeli spy who was captured and executed in Syria, that enabled them to destroy the equipment prepared for the task, "Israel's Secret Operation to Recover the Watch of a Legendary Spy", "Rumors fly that body of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen was found", "Eli Cohen, notre agent "top secret" Damas", "Mossad's master of deception: the astounding true story of Israeli super-spy Eli Cohen", Widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen: Netflix drama 'raises my blood pressure', "Unending agony for legendary spy Eli Cohen and his widow", "Israel's secret war against Hitler's scientists", "The History of Elie Cohen: An Egyptian Jew who became Israel's greatest spy", "Will Israel's superspy finally rest in peace? Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. The Spy alternates between Cohens risky schemes with Nadias far more ordinary life. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. In February 1961 one man handed him an Israeli passport in his real name and a plane ticket to Zurich.on his arrival, Eli was met by a white-haired man who gave him a passport from another name, that passport carried an entry visa to chile and a transit visa to Argentina. The daughter of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen said Sunday it hurt to watch the new Netflix series about her fathers life and execution in Syria, lamenting some historical inaccuracies in the adaptation but praising Sacha Baron Cohens performance. I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever. Recalling Elis final days, Nadia states he was in Bat Yam, with her and the three babies. Cohen's training was long and exhausting. In Episode 5, Maurice puts the clues together when he covers for the regular analyst that communicates with Cohen using Morse code. Since then, Nadia has always counted on him. Khalid al-Hafidh, a Syrian migrant living in Auckland, claims to be the son Amin al-Hafiz, a Syrian leader who presided over the country during Cohen's execution and his subsequent secret burial. Employment was not always steady, and he soon had to rely more on Nadia to help support their marriage, which would quickly lead to children. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel, 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, Sophie Ben-Dor (Screen capture: Channel 12 News), This undated photo shows Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Syria wearing a wristwatch recovered by the Mossad in 2018. He became far less careful in his transmissions to Israel, sometimes calling once or even twice a day and almost always at the same time, at 8:30 in the morning. Show creator Gideon Raff's limited series has brought renewed attention to the life and work of Eli Cohen. In the fifties, Israel had launched a project of huge pipeline and canals that would carry a part of the jorden river water to the arid Negev region. Already a member? On 18 May 1965, Eli cohen was woken by the jailer and fastened the noose, and hang up, the huge poster was fastened on his chest where his sentence was written in Arabic. Two of them were Abraham and Maurice. On September 20, 2016, an unknown Syrian group named 'Syrian Art Treasures' posted a 'Facebook' video showing Eli's body after his execution. He was taught high-speed evasive driving techniques, Weapons proficiency (especially with a wide variety of small arms), topography, map reading, sabotage, and, most importantly, radio transmissions and cryptography. After the Israel Independence War In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. Again, I. Eli was arrested but soon released due to a lack of evidence. Al-Hafidh claims he was in negotiations with the Mossad to reveal the information, but wanted $1million for his services which the intelligence agency refused to pay. The transmissions became longer as well. Kamal Amin Taabet (also called Tabas in some sources) was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Syrian Muslim parents. Source:The Pedagogic Center, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, (c) 1992-2007. "I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has past," his final letter read. He did not object, in fact, to the idea of a ladies man reputation. In order to capture the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli soldiers had to knock out a number of well-fortified Syrian outposts. [7], In January 1965, Syrian officials, who used Soviet-made tracking equipment and were assisted by Soviet experts, increased their efforts to find a high-level spy. Cohen established his contact quickly, his letter of recommendation opened the gates to high society. Nadia Majald, and together they had three children. Since Eli did not have a steady job back then, even though he worked as an accountant, he had to rely more on Nadia to help support the family and their marriage. [18], Cohen made repeated visits to the southern frontier zone, providing photographs and sketches of Syrian positions. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future! Cohen was caught and eventually executed by Syrian authorities in 1965. On 18 May 1965, Eli cohen was woken by the jailer and fastened the noose, and hang up, the huge poster was fastened on his chest where his sentence was written in Arabic.Even today Syria refuses to return his body for burial in Israel. Israel has had a quiet northern border on the Golan with the exception of some occasional fallout from the Syrian civil war for more than 40years. Eli's first instructor Yitzhak learned to memorize things, he throws a dozen objects on the table and Eli observe them for a second and described them. Cohen was born in 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt to a devout Mizrahi Jewish and Zionist family. Eli started transmitting his message to Israel daily at 8 a.m. After six months kamal Amin tabet become well known. Nadia and Eli Cohen pictured in the 1960s The 41-year-old was brutally hanged in Marjeh Square in Damascus in front of a crowd of 10,000 people, in May 1965 - and despite his last request to have his body returned to Israel, the Syrian authorities have to this day never disclosed the whereabouts of his remains. She also said she understood and respected the show. he transfers all operations to Mossad, Eli was now Mossad agent. Learn more. Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. Out of fear of being caught, Eli expressed his wish to visit Israel in November 1964, to pass on information and also witness the birth of his third child. When the Baath took power in 1963, Eli was firmly entrenched in Syrian high society. The Arabs would have none of it and decided to divert the sources of the Jordan River which originated in Arab-held territory. In this way, the Arabs hoped to deprive Israel of the waters she would need for her national growth. But an interview published in the Cairo Times yesterday with the German-born Weltrude Scheffeldt-Biton suggests that Egyptian intelligence played the most important role in unmasking Cohen. He remembered and passed on to Israeli Intelligence the positioning of every Syrian gun, trench, and machine-gun nest in each Golan Heights fortification; tank traps, designed to impede any Israeli attack, were also identified and memorized for future targeting.. In the short periods he came home he wanted to absorb all the love from his children, he even smelt their scent to stay with him, and he wanted to give all the love possible, like a father to his children. Once Cohen had established his background, he was inserted into the "target country," Syria, and operated with great success for four years until his capture. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. He took on the name Kamel Amin Thaabet and went to live in Argentina for some time to build a name for himself in the Syrian expat community. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. One of the most difficult tasks for Eli Cohen was to learn the intricate and unmistakable phonetic tune of Syrian Arabic; prior to his intelligence training, his Egyptian accent was undeniable. His trainer was an Iraqi-born Jew who had extensive experience training operatives in speaking Arabic and the traditions and Muslim customs. Daniel Sonnenfeld,55 years after execution in Syria, Israeli spy Eli Cohen makes headlines,Jerusalem Post, February 27, 2021). Al-Gamal rushed to inform his superiors that Thabet was none other than Eli Cohen, the Alexandrian Jew. Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. Eli Cohenarrived in Buenos Aires and checked into a hotel .a local teacher would get in touch with him and teach him the Spanish language. Their youngest child, Shai, was only 21 days old then. Also in Episode 5, viewers see Hafiz assume power after demanding the resignation of Syria's then-president, Nazim al-Qudsi. He even trained at the same facility that had served as home to his doomed Susannah compatriots in 1953. He returned to Egypt in 1956 but was suspected immediately and was placed under surveillance. Eli studied at a local Jewish community school and then attended the 'University of Alexandria' to study electrical engineering. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to Israel in 1957. The Ba'athist coup and Eli Cohen's role. [11], The Mossad recruited Cohen after Director-General Meir Amit, looking for a special agent to infiltrate the Syrian government, came across his name while looking through the agency's files of rejected candidates, after none of the current candidates seemed suitable for the job. Eli Cohenbecame certain that Israel had spied in the Syrian government. For two weeks Cohen was put under surveillance and was judged suitable for recruitment and training. Monthir Maosily, a former bureau chief for Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, claimed in 2007 that Hafiz and Cohen were not as close as was made out and that stories of Cohen infiltrating the very top of Syrian politics "had been exaggerated to undermine Syria, as if he was a spy who had transmitted Syria's deepest secrets.". . In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. At the age of 41, Cohen was hanged in Damascus in front of a crowd of 10,000. Ben-Dor was pessimistic that Israel would soon be able to retrieve her fathers body from Syria. At first, he refused. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. ", "Sacha Baron Cohen To Star As Eli Cohen in Netflix Limited Series 'The Spy', Cohen's widow asks for his remains to be returned, PM's speech at the ceremony marking 40 years since the death of Eli Cohen, Our man in Damascus: Eli Cohen of blessed memory, Exhibition in the IDF & Defense Establishment Archives, Eli Cohen, moments after the execution (part 1), Eli Cohen, moments after the execution (part 2), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eli_Cohen&oldid=1140124388, Egyptian people convicted of spying for Israel, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles having same image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 15:41. The agency concluded that Cohen had a high IQ, great bravery, a phenomenal memory, and the ability to keep a secret; but the tests also showed that in spite of his modest appearance, he has an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and a lot of internal tension. Cohen, the results indicated, does not always evaluate danger correctly, and is liable to assume risks beyond those which are necessary.. After some months, Abdel Latif Hassan introduces Eli to General Amin El-Hafez, the military attache at the embassy. Some attributed this to a sense of cockiness (despite the fears he had expressed in November 1964), due to the ability and ease he had moved about in the highest echelons of Syrian power. For more than 50 years, Nadia has fought to have her husbands body returned to Israel. In the show, Cohenas Thaabetbefriends Hafiz in Buenos Aires and later in Damascus helps Hafiz's Ba'ath party seize power. Revealed: The Plan to Expand the Israeli Knesset by More Than Double, Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. He made friends with many of the guests and ended up receiving classified military briefings and visiting Syrian military sites. "Suddenly something changed there toward us. The Golan Heights defenses were top-secret and closed only to top military staff. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eli-cohen-16869.php. Instead, he joined the Egyptian merchant marine and was involved in a number of scams, which resulted in his arrest by the Egyptian secret service in 1952. His parents, Syrian Jews from the thriving town of Aleppo, had always instilled in their educationally minded son the traditions of the Jewish people, of Zionism, and of the culture of Syrias Jewish community, in particular.. "- From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. Do you rely on The Times of Israel for accurate and insightful news on Israel and the Jewish world? Due to this information, the Israeli Air Force was able to obliterate the Syrian plans for the diversion scheme by shelling and bombing the bulldozers and other equipment used for the scheme in early 1964. Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story, American History Has Been Whitewashed, But, Black Teen Girls On TV Are A Mess Finally. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. Saif calmly replied, Theres nothing to worry about. The next day he comes to Hassan's office and admitted that he is sick and tired to live in Argentina, he wanted to go back to Syria, could he help him with a letter of recommendation? Al-Hafidh wanted a million dollars for his services, texting: "1M for the minimum for kick start. In an interview with Newshub, Al-Hafidh now says he is willing to reveal the information without the financial reward, as long as the Cohen's relatives finally have their peace. He would also lend money to government officials, and many came to him for advice. He was a legend," I declare. However, running a double agent is considered to be one of the most complex missions in intelligence work. While Eli was not directly involved with the Operation Susannah spies, he was involved with pro-Israel activity, and he was brutally questioned by Egypts Intelligence Services. Nadia believed it and went to see him off at the airport in 1961. After several days, Eli got a new identity as Kamal Amin Tablet, son of Syrian parents, born in Beirut. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. Eli Cohen provided an incredible amount of intelligence data to the Israeli Army over a period of three years. Cohen would then send intelligence back to Israel using a hidden radio transmitter. Despite this, however, Israeli intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. Its unfamiliar to me, this form of expression in a global television series. "Sophie's. He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. It was approved by, The head of the presidency council on 17/5/1965, Top 10 Weakest Militaries in the World | The Bahamas, Central African Republic, The Gambia,Barbados, Somalia, Luxembourg military power, MiG-29 vs. Su-27: The Soviet Union's Two Top Fighters Went Head to Head in an East African Air War, Ravindra Kaushik RAW Agent ( Black Tiger) Wife, son, Death reason, | Facts about Ravindra Kaushik | Ravindra Kaushik Movie, Israel's Iron Dome Vs S-400 Russian Comparison, Price, Success Rate | Iron Dome vs S400 which is better, Top amazing facts about RAW and Agent : History, Foundation, Joining , Department of RAW, Eli Cohen Wife, Children | Israeli Spy biography | Last Letter to his wife and Children | Eli Cohen death writing translation | george seif syria. [7] He took part in various Israeli covert operations in the country during the 1950s, although the Egyptian government could never prove his involvement in Operation Goshen, an Israeli operation to smuggle Egyptian Jews out of the country and resettle them in Israel due to increasing hostility in Egypt. He arrived in Israel on February 8, 1957. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? It takes just a few seconds. According to al-Gamal's version, he saw a photograph in an Arab newspaper at a newspaper stand in Frankfurt's train station that showed Amin Kamel Thabet touring fortifications on the Golan Heights with Syrian officers. Incorrect password. This is adefinitive andfinal verdict. [8], Israel's secret police recruited a sabotage unit of Jewish Egyptian citizens in 1955 which attempted to undermine Egypt's relationships with western powers in the "Lavon Affair". Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? A month later, a Syrian officer would say that one of Israel's attack architects had been Eli Cohen, who was in Israel during the battle. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. A year later, in 1965, Cohen was caught transmitting over the radio back to Tel Aviv. The execution was broadcast on Syrian television. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. This helped the army win the Six-Day War and capture the Golan Heights. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Sophia Cohen the 26-year-old daughter of billionaire hedge funder and Mets owner Steve Cohen is no longer engaged to her financier boyfriend Jason Levine, Page Six has confirmed. [19] He also learned of a secret plan to create three successive lines of bunkers and mortars; the Israel Defense Forces would otherwise have expected to encounter only a single line. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. His remains have yet to be returned, despite pleas from his family. So now we have a request. She has pleaded for years and is still waiting to receive Eli's body. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. He reminded me of my father sometimes, she added. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. The following year, Syria found out about Cohen by tracing his intelligence transmissions to Israel. I beg my wife to forgive me, to take care of herself and our children. He was interrogated and tortured. "His parents, Syrian Jews from the thriving town of Aleppo, had always instilled in their educationally minded son the traditions of the Jewish people, of Zionism, and of the culture of Syria's Jewish community, in particular." "It works with a range of international intelligence agencies,'' the NZSIS said in response. children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen, place of death: Al Marjeh Square, Damascus, Syria, See the events in life of Eli Cohen in Chronological Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubQ6b-9OewI, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ9cUmvkgmg. In the 1960s, Israel developed a national water carrier which diverted water from the Kinneret into a pipeline that irrigated much of the country and especially Israels arid south. The Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, plans to name one of the buildings in its compound after Eli Cohen - its spy in Syria who was caught in Damascus, tried, convicted and executed 40 years ago. He was eventually exposed and captured by Syrian Intelligence in 1965, sentenced to death and hung at Damascus' main square. He continued his social life, spending a lot of time in cafes listening to political gossip. However, Eli's loyalty was scrutinized, and he faced harassment by the 'Muslim Brotherhood.' I am begging you my dear Nadia not to spend your time in weeping about some thing already passed. they suspect on a tablet but they verify the Tibet's transmission two times at 8 am precisely they broke into the tablet home, Eli was caught red-handed in the transmission. When the Golan was captured in 1967, at almost the end of the Six-Day War, settlers in the north could finally feel relieved. In 1960, Cohen was approached by the Mossad for a mission in Syria. From 1961 to 1965, Eli transmitted crucial intelligence data, including that of the Golan Heights, to the Israeli army. His family is now settled in Bat Yam. She was told he would be completely safe, and she believed that until his capture in 1965. The 2019 'Netflix' miniseries 'The Spy' had actor Sacha Baron Cohen portraying Eli.