All these years, I remained faithful to him. Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. Eli was born Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen, on December 26, 1924, in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, into a staunch Jewish and Zionist family. 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.. As Intelligence Chief Meir Amit said, Eli succeeded far beyond the capabilities of most other men.. ", "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. Scheffeldt, 63, is the widow of Rifa'at al-Gamal, an Egyptian spy who reportedly operated in Israel for a number of years. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. 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. 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. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. they let him see fortification and the bunkers, weapon concentrated in the area, and their offensive plans.l lieutenant. According to an unconfirmed but widely believed story, he feigned sympathy for the soldiers exposed to the sun and had trees planted at every position, placed to provide shade. Cohens contacts, nurtured through a string of lavish dinner parties, social occasions, and friendships with those in high places, led to invitations to visit Damascus and to set up a business venture there. Did you spend your weekend binge-watching Netflix's taut thriller, The Spy? Cohen was then informed that Mossad had decided to recruit him and underwent an intensive six-month course at the Mossad training school. 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. (PMO), Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli spy Eli Cohen in The Spy (YouTube screenshot), Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965. But within a month he had lost his Tel Aviv-based accountancy job. HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - A Netflix drama about Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who infiltrated the Syrian government in the 1960s and was later executed, has received a . Cohen wasnt allowed tell anyone of the plans and told his wife that he was working abroad for Israels Defense Ministry. Warning: This article contains spoilers for all six episodes of The Spy. Still, Israeli Intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. 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. Eli himself was not above the spicier part of a spys life either. Thats when he met Nadia Majald, an Iraqi-born Jewish woman who lived near his brother and his wife. Using Biton, Israel "fed" Egypt with false intelligence that reportedly contributed to the Six Day War victory. Military Stories site will provide you the latest News related to military. Offended, he resigned from military counterintelligence and took up a clerical job in a Tel Aviv insurance office. On April 15, 2019, a few Israeli news agencies published unconfirmed reports of Eli's remains being recovered in Syria and stated that the remains were with a Russian delegation. When Intelligence came by a second time, he jumped at it. He became a confidante of George Saif, high up in the Ministry of Information. A New Zealander claiming to the son of a former Syrian president, says he knows the whereabouts of the executed Israeli spy's remains, according to a report on New Zealand news service Newshub on Sunday. The melting winter snows produce a huge run-off of water which makes the Golan a beautifully verdant area in the late winter and spring and irrigates the Hula and Jordan Valleys below. On September 20, 2016, an unknown Syrian group named 'Syrian Art Treasures' posted a 'Facebook' video showing Eli's body after his execution. In August 2008, Assad's former bureau chief, Monthir Maosily, revealed that Eli had been buried thrice and that Israel would never receive his body. "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. Please try again or choose an option below. He was caught and sentenced to death. According to the report, Mossad agents were on their way to Auckland, with one text saying: "Wait for our partners to arrive before making a decision.". The alleged son says the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) contacted him two years ago believing he has clues to the secret location, which his father had apparently taken to the grave. [9], Cohen continued his social life as he had in Argentina, spending time in cafes listening to political gossip. (Israel GPO), President Reuven Rivlin and Nadia Cohen, at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Mossad super spy Eli Cohen, May 18, 2015. Even after the blown operation led to the demise of the Operation Susannah spies, Eli Cohen left Egypt for Israel to undergo intensive espionage training in the summer of 1955. While there, he gained the trust of Amin al-Hafez, who would later become Syrias president. try to make as many friends as possible, and establish contact with Arab leaders. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nadia-cohen-46980.php. At Kfar Habad, on July 29, 1977, at the joint Bar Mitzvah for 100 fatherless boys, in the presence of Prime Minister. In 1960, the national intelligence agency of Israel, 'Mossad,' approached Eli for a classified mission in Syria. But as with all fictional works that derive from real-life events, The Spy, perhaps for reasons ranging from time constraints to story relevance, omits some points in Cohen's story. Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. I had gotten under his cover," said Maurice Cohen. Syria tortures him but he was still lying, his face was covered with wounds, his nail was pulled out. It could not let Syria succeed and planning a response. He ultimately complied. His remains have yet to be returned, despite pleas from his family. To no avail. "I want to ask wasn't Eli worth the price? he soon became a well-known figure in the Arab circle. [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). Meanwhile, every few days he transmitted important information to his Israeli handlers via a radio transmitter he had hidden in his room. 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. According to Scheffeldt, Cohen and al-Gamal were arrested together in 1954 and released shortly after. Also in Episode 5, viewers see Hafiz assume power after demanding the resignation of Syria's then-president, Nazim al-Qudsi. But in 2018, Cohens watch was retrieved in a secret Mossad scheme. Their youngest child, Shai, was only 21 days old then. "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. 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. "It was all for good intentions. Eli's handlers were continually persuading him to return. 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. Because of that, perhaps he just tired of the whole charade. How is it that you dare allow a stranger to read a classified document? he angrily asked Saif. 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. But his knowledge of the Arab language and Arab culture, as well as prior work in espionage in Egypt, made him a good candidate for the Mossad. [5] He studied at Cairo Farouk University. also learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. That is, until Meir Dagan took over as chief. At first, he refused. "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. The president was ousted from power a year later in 1966. She has pleaded for years and is still waiting to receive Eli's body. Eli Cohen provided an incredible amount of intelligence data to the Israeli Army over a period of three years. One of them was Colonel Amin al-Hafaz, a supporter of the secular-leftist Baath party. At the same time, Israeli officials devised escape schemes and appealed to international organizations. 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. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. 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. Sacha Baron Cohen, the Mossad and Netflix. This week, KAN 11 began broadcasting a documentary series "Lochem 566," (Fighter 566, Cohen's Mossad codename). After three months, Eli spoke passable Spanish, knew Buenos Aires well, dressed, and behaved like thousands of Arab immigrants living in Buenos Aires. On 29 December 2022, Cohen was sworn in as Foreign Minister alongside a new government, and will rotate the position with Israel Katz. If indeed Biton was a double agent - and Israeli intelligence prides itself on the quality of his work - then it is difficult to believe that he exposed Cohen. The Syrians and their Russian advisers were alarmed by the intelligence that was seeping out of the country. The crime of obtaining secret information is kept hidden to ensure the safety of the country to benefit the enemy. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. It also provides 30% of Israels water sources. [12][16], In 2016, a Syrian group calling itself "Syrian art treasures" posted a video on Facebook showing Cohen's body after his execution. Thanks". Thus, he wished to terminate his assignment in Syria. Eli told Nadia that he got a job with a company that works with defense and foreign ministries, he needs to travel to Europe to buy tools and equipment, and materials for Israel's military. "We have six grandchildren," she says with pride as she points to a family photo on the wall. Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, Defense Minister Ezer Weizmann, and many Mossad officials attended Eli's son's bar mitzvah in 1977. I understand and respect [it], she said in a separate interview earlier Sunday with the network. Eli Cohenbecame certain that Israel had spied in the Syrian government. 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). In addition, the commander of Syrian Intelligence, Colonel Ahmed Suedani trusted no one and disliked Eli. He carefully cultivated contacts with the Baath leadership, which included the Syrian military attach in Argentina, General Amin al-Hafaz. His first assignment was to infiltrate the Jewish community of Alexandria. Show creator Gideon Raff's limited series has brought renewed attention to the life and work of Eli Cohen. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. 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. 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. [9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. His work bored him and he attempted to join the Mossad, but he was offended when the Mossad rejected him, and he resigned from military counter-intelligence. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. The six-part drama about Israeli spy Eli Cohen has gripped viewers and critics alike with its pulse-racing tale of espionage and a deceptively good dramatic performance by Sacha Baron Cohen, better known for his comedy work, as the Mossad agent. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. Eli Cohen's son, Shaul, was only 2 weeks old when he last saw his father. The Syrian officer readily agreed and Eli immediately passed the information onto Israel. After the Israel Independence War In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. From 1961 to 1965, Eli transmitted crucial intelligence data, including that of the Golan Heights, to the Israeli army. One day Cohen was sitting in Saifs office reading a classified document while the Syrian was on the phone. While there are reports that Cohen hosted parties that would devolve into orgies at his apartment, in order to gain the trust of high-level people in power, there's no concrete evidence that he played a role in the March 1963 coup. Elis larger-than-life persona has attracted many filmmakers, who have then used his story for their projects. "- From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. Israel tried to obtain the cooperation of her Arab neighbors for the plan, but the Arabs would not agree, even when the United States tried to use its diplomatic leverage for the furtherance of the plan. This helped the army win the Six-Day War and capture the Golan Heights. Earlier communication between the alleged son and the intelligence agency reveals Al-Hafidh was adamant on receiving the money. 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. 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. But the series did not give al-Gamal enough credit, she said, and this led her to reveal his memoirs, which he wrote in secret and deposited with a lawyer for safekeeping. As the Syrian Army officer explained to Eli the fortifications the Syrian Army had built, Eli suggested that the Syrians plant trees there to deceive the Israelis into thinking it was unfortified, as well as to provide shade and beauty for the soldiers stationed there. The Israel Defense Forces were alleged to have used the trees as targeting markers during the Six-Day War, which enabled Israel to capture the Golan Heights in two days. In 1963, during a business trip to Germany, he met Weltrude Scheffeldt, a divorcee, then 22 and with a small child, and married her. Altogether, he returned to Israel three times between 1962 and 1965. 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. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. The TV film 'The Impossible Spy' (1987) chronicled Eli's life. At the end of 1961, Syria dissolved its union with Egypt, which had lasted a mere three years. Eli found out about Syria's secret plan to attack the Israeli defense forces. you lived with your uncle and worked as a travel agency, later were very successful. Two of them were Abraham and Maurice. [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. 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. The drunk guests would often end up blabbing about their work to Cohen, who was sober but would pretend to be intoxicated. It went wrong, really wrong," he said. He worked as an accountant. Cohen went undercover in Syria as Kamel Amin Thaabet in the early 1960s, aligned himself with key military and government personnel and fed intel back to Israel. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. Eli Cohenalso learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. Israel has for decades worked to retrieve his remains. "There was great excitement because it is essentially the only item of dad that came back, we have nothing. "Sophie's. Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? In November 1964, Tel Dan Syria open fire on Israel tractors in the demilitarized zone. Already a member? To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Buenos Aires in 1961. He made friends who moved in highly influential Syrian circles, transmitting his findings back to Israel via radio. The purposes of that visit were to pass on intelligence and to enable him to witness the birth of his third child. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. Eli Cohen was sent to Syria as an undercover agent, and he turned out to be the greatest spy to date. He then moved to Damascus in February 1962, under his new identity, Kamel Amin Thaabet, to extract classified information from Syrian military officers. 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. your father and uncle opened a textile store, but it went bankrupt your father died in 1956 and six months later your mother died too. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. [15], Cohen moved to Damascus in February 1962 under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet (Arabic: ). He reminded me of my father sometimes, she added. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. Text messages sent from an NZSIS agent called "Carl" appear to show him brokering a deal. Eli Cohen was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents, who had migrated to Alexandria from Syria. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. Cohen established his contact quickly, his letter of recommendation opened the gates to high society. In 2016, Nadia told 'Israel Radio' that former 'Mossad' chief Meir Dagan had asked the US officials to help bring Elis remains. She also said she understood and respected the show. On his last visit, in 1964, he told intelligence officers he wanted to come in from the cold because he was concerned a new Syrian intelligence commander did not like him. Still Ben-Dor, who was four years old when her father was killed, said she was pleasantly surprised by actor Cohens portrayal. Since 1992, the Golan has been up for discussion in the peace talks, but it strikes a very emotional chord among Israelis due to its historic and strategic significance, in addition to its natural beauty. The news spread everywhere that the Syrian leader is a spy, a president friend, a millionaire. The goal was to gather intelligence from high-ranking Syrian politicians and military officials. [5], His parents and three brothers left for Israel in 1949, but he remained to finish a degree in electronics and coordinate Jewish and Zionist activities. Al-Hafidh wanted a million dollars for his services, texting: "1M for the minimum for kick start. He died in 2009. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. Egypt has the strongest of the Arab countries and sworn enamy if Israel with the decision to evacuate Egypt, modern bases, airfield, and huge stores of equipment and war material would fall into the Egyptian army. He had seventeen lovers in Syria, all dazzling beauties with a fair degree of family power. Eli hoped as did Israeli Intelligence that these women would help him escape in time of crisis.. [13][14] In Buenos Aires he moved among the Arab community, letting it be known he had large amounts of money to put at the disposal of the Syrian Ba'ath Party. 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. He then left the university and continued his studies at home. Nadia Cohen attempted to appeal for clemency at the Syrian Embassy in Paris but was turned away. [2], A 2018 article published in Newsweek by Ronen Bergman excerpted from Bergman's book Rise and Kill First, says that Eli Cohen located Alois Brunner, a Nazi scientist suspected of living in Syria, and relayed the information to an Israel intelligence unit that later sent letter bombs to Brunner. 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. Israeli intelligence was particularly excited about Cohen . A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. In his late teens, Cohen became an ardent Zionist and at the same time, as . . His captors later remarked on his noble bearing and his courage despite the horrific Syrian interrogation methods. In the 1970s, they left Israel for Germany and in 1982, al-Gamal, alias Jacques Biton, died of an illness. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. 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. For as little as $6/month, you will: Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. The husband hunters among the Damascus rich and influential flocked to the handsome Taabet, hoping that their almond eyes, Byzantine beauty, and olive skin would secure a future of wealth and power: He became the most sought-after bachelor in the Syrian capital. 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. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future!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 motherPlease pray for my soul. Its unfamiliar to me, this form of expression in a global television series. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to Israel in 1957. He soon became accepted, well-liked, and respected, and made contacts with politicians, diplomats and military officials working out of the Syrian Embassy. Source:The Pedagogic Center, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, (c) 1992-2007. 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. one after the other 69 people were arrested. Nadia was told that Eli was working for the ministry of defense and would be completely safe. For his loyalties, Hafiz grooms Thaabet to be deputy defense minister in his government.