Altogether, he returned to Israel three times between 1962 and 1965. The watch is now on display at the 'Mossad' headquarters. [15], Cohen moved to Damascus in February 1962 under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet (Arabic: ). Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. Cohen's astonishing undercover career lasted for four years. Do you rely on The Times of Israel for accurate and insightful news on Israel and the Jewish world? they let him see fortification and the bunkers, weapon concentrated in the area, and their offensive plans.l lieutenant Zaher Al-Din took Eli to the El Hama military camp, where large quantities of new weapons had been stored. 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. Given their history of a paper trail, its fitting but heartbreaking to learn that their final exchange also took place over written correspondence. He genuinely fit into life in the Syrian capital, and he was never suspected of being a spy until almost the very end. children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen Born Country: Egypt Spies Israeli Men Died on: May 18, 1965 place of death: Al Marjeh Square, Damascus, Syria Notable Alumni: Cairo Farouk University Cause of Death: Executed By Hanging City: Alexandria, Egypt More Facts Recommended Lists: Israeli Celebrities Male Spies Israeli Spies Capricorn Men His training was extensive and exhaustive. In November 1965, Eli's wife wrote to Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, requesting him to send Elis remains back to Israel. He was eventually exposed and captured by Syrian Intelligence in 1965, sentenced to death and hung at Damascus' main square. In The Spy, based on the true story of Israeli agent Eli Cohen, comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen takes on a serious role, playing the title character. The highly vigilant Russian security experts, equipped with very sensitive technical intelligence-gathering equipment, pinpointed the source of the transmissions in the Syrian capital and it was Elis home. In early 1964, Eli was able to radio Tel Aviv that the channel was being dug along the entire length of the Syrian Heights to receive the diverted flow of the Baniyas River - one of the Jordans major sources - and empty into Jordanian territory. Eli carefully spelled out all the details of the project and passed them on to Israeli Intelligence. He was sentenced to death. The information he had been providing them for years was too good to forego. He worked as an accountant and translator. In the interview, she said that her husband left behind memoirs, notes and other evidence. He was hanged on May 18, 1965. "He began writing the number but stopped abruptly and, looking flushed and flustered, mumbled under his breath about needing to run out to the supermarket before it closed. In 1963, new Ramdas replaced Meir Amit for a few months in charge of both a man and Mossad. 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. In 1965, the Syrian secret service was on high alert. [9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. 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. 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. [7] Cohen is married, has four children and lives in Holon. [9] The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence,[25] but the Syrians refused. In 1960, the national intelligence agency of Israel, 'Mossad,' approached Eli for a classified mission in Syria. Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. Cohen expressed fear of discovery to the Mossad on his last secret visit to Israel in November 1964, and he stated that he wished to terminate his assignment in Syria. In addition, the commander of Syrian Intelligence, Colonel Ahmed Suedani trusted no one and disliked Eli. It went wrong, really wrong," he said. Nadia Majald, and together they had three children. In February 2007, a Turkish official assured assistance to Eli's family to get back his body. But in 2018, Cohens watch was retrieved in a secret Mossad scheme. Eli had to conceal the microfilm inexpensive boxes containing backgammon pieces .the music ornament could be dug out of the polished wood and reinserted after microfilm had been placed in the cavity. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anything. 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. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds. Eli Cohenalso learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. From 1961 to 1965, Eli transmitted crucial intelligence data, including that of the Golan Heights, to the Israeli army. Nadia was told that Eli was working for the ministry of defense and would be completely safe. 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. In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. [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. Later, visiting his sister-in-law, Cohen's wife Nadia, he notices that she has a brand new Singer sewing machine in her home. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. The leading figure in the break-in was the head of Syrian Intelligence, Colonel Ahmed Suedani Elis nemesis. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. [22], It is claimed that the intelligence that Cohen gathered before his arrest was an important factor in Israel's success in the Six-Day War,[23] although some intelligence experts have argued that the information he provided about the Golan Heights fortifications was also readily available from ground and aerial reconnaissance. The purposes of that visit were to pass on intelligence and to enable him to witness the birth of his third child. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. Did you spend your weekend binge-watching Netflix's taut thriller, The Spy? At this time the Ba'ath Party was illegal in Syria but the party seized power in 1963. ", "Former Assad aide: Eli Cohen's burial site unknown],mm", "New footage emerges of Eli Cohen on the gallows", "Mossad Brings Home Watch of Israeli Spy Executed in Syria; Netanyahu Hails 'Brave' Op", "Watch of famed Israeli spy Eli Cohen recovered by Mossad", "The saga of Eli Cohen, Israel's greatest spy", "Will Assad's Ouster Free Body of Israel Spy? But within a month he had lost his Tel Aviv-based accountancy job. His last wish was to see a rabbi. Hence, Nissim Andabo, the elderly chief rabbi of Syria accompanied him to Marjeh Square.. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. Do what you must, don't deprive the children of a father. "I am the son of the only person on this planet who knows where the remains are buried," he told Newshub in an interview. Fortunately, several were easy to spot, for they . 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. In Episode 5, Cohen's playboy-esque Thaabet hosts a sex party at his apartment to distract key government and military officials while the Ba'ath Party's military committee seizes power in Damascus. [5] He studied at Cairo Farouk University. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Cohen publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square, The Pedagogic Center, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. The three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. 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. Nadia believed it and went to see him off at the airport in 1961. "Suddenly something changed there toward us. After a few months, Eli was visited by George Salem Seif, a radio show host in charge of radio Damascus broadcast for Syrian abord. By Lianne Back. He made friends with many of the guests and ended up receiving classified military briefings and visiting Syrian military sites. I want him, here and now, because I've reached the age that I deserve tranquillity. 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 after the other 69 people were arrested. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. She smiles. Recalling Elis final days, Nadia states he was in Bat Yam, with her and the three babies. In December 1956, the Jewish Agency assisted Eli to deport to Israel in a vessel. His remains have yet to be returned, despite pleas from his family. Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. 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.. Cohen was born in 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt to a devout Mizrahi Jewish and Zionist family. According to Scheffeldt, Cohen and al-Gamal were arrested together in 1954 and released shortly after. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. But even after four decades, there are still many questions related to the Eli Cohen affair, some minor, others major - among them, the way in which Syrian counterintelligence identified the Israeli spy. At the end of 1961, Syria dissolved its union with Egypt, which had lasted a mere three years. In 1960, Cohen was recruited to be part of a dangerous mission to Syria. His wife, Nadia, would be left a widow with three very young children. The newly appointed Syrian intelligence colonel, Ahmed Su'edani, disliked Eli. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. Show creator Gideon Raff's limited series has brought renewed attention to the life and work of Eli Cohen. In 1961, Eli was sent to Buenos Aires in the guise of a Syrian textile businessman. "I was cooperating with the New Zealand Secret Intelligence Service, in cooperation with the Mossad, in order to help find the remains of the Israeli spy Eli Cohen," he said. 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? 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. Spouse/Ex-: Eli Cohen (m. 1959-1965) children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen Born Country: Iraq Family Members Iraqi Female Life with Eli Nadia (born Nadia Majald) is an Iraqi Jew who got married to Eli on August 31, 1959. The Kinneret supplies Israel with most of its water needs. As depicted in Episodes 4 and 5 of The Spy, Cohen aligns with Hafiz and the Ba'ath political party to overthrow the reigning government of Syria in March 1963. Cohen would pretend to be drunk to encourage such conversations, to which he paid close attention. Unfortunately, Nadia and her family are still waiting to get Elis body and have not made peace with it. She also said she understood and respected the show. 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? love of country, sacrifice and about his life and my life, my children." . Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. Cohen immigrated to Israel in 1957 and was recruited by Military Intelligence, to a unit that later became part of the Mossad. 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. But in 1965, he was unmasked. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. Elis friendship with Amin al-Hafez proved very valuable. "It works with a range of international intelligence agencies,'' the NZSIS said in response. Years later, in February 2007, a Turkish official confirmed that the government had agreed to look into the matter of returning Eli's remains to his family. Despite being away from home for months at a time, he fathered three children, Sophie, Irit and Shai. By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. In 1949, his parents and three brothers moved to Israel while Eli remained in Egypt to coordinate Jewish and Zionist activities there. Nevertheless, Kamal Amin Taabet (Eli Cohen) succeeded in visiting every position. In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. Al-Gamal rushed to inform his superiors that Thabet was none other than Eli Cohen, the Alexandrian Jew. Eli's wife Nadia, played by Hadar Ratzon Rotem, has to deal with raising two children without her husband, who disappears for up to a year at a time without being allowed to tell her what he's actually doing or even where he is. It also provides 30% of Israels water sources. In 1960, Cohen was approached by the Mossad for a mission in Syria. Already a member? In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. 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. [34], The Israeli settlement Eliad on the Golan Heights is named for him.[35]. He soon became accepted, well-liked, and respected, and made contacts with politicians, diplomats and military officials working out of the Syrian Embassy. He has reached the apex of success, and it seems that there is no door he can't open. Nadia Cohen attempted to appeal for clemency at the Syrian Embassy in Paris but was turned away. Eli Cohen's son, Shaul, was only 2 weeks old when he last saw his father. you lived with your uncle and worked as a travel agency, later were very successful. He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. In January 1965, Syrian government officials announced that Eli is an Israeli spy. He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. 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. 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. Periodically Eli would return to Israel to speak with his Israeli handlers and visit his wife and small children. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. In the final episode of The Spy, Cohen's brother Maurice, a Mossad analyst, confronts him after discovering he is the secret Agent 88 in Damascus. Asked to pinpoint what she found not to be reflective of her familys experience, Ben-Dor cited the ethnic gap, noting her mother was never a maid as was portrayed in the series. Eli was arrested but soon released due to a lack of evidence. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. But he refused). His final visit was in 1964. He ultimately complied. Eli Cohen (pictured, at center) was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents who had immigrated to Alexandria from Aleppo, Syria. On May 15, 1965, Eli wrote a final letter to Nadia, requesting her not to mourn his death and stating that she should hold her head high, as her husband had done nothing wrong. Sacha Baron Cohen in 'The Spy' as Eli Cohen. [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. This coincided with the continuance of Palestinian terrorist infiltrators arriving from the Syrian border, along with a continual flow of Soviet technical assistance to Syria. "My darling Nadia, and my dear family,I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever.I beg my wife to forgive me, to take care of herself and our children. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion, Antoni Porowski Talks New Cookbook, Recipes and Tradition in Cooking, Netflix's 'The Spy': Eli Cohen's Remains Still a Mystery, How to Watch True Crime Series 'Unbelievable' on Netflix.
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