Eli Cohen was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents, who had migrated to Alexandria from Syria. The Syrian officer readily agreed and Eli immediately passed the information onto Israel. By 1960, however, Israeli Intelligence was ready to take another look at Eli Cohen. This material may not be republished without the permission of the copyright owner. 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. 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. Nadia was told that Eli was working for the ministry of defense and would be completely safe. However, running a double agent is considered to be one of the most complex missions in intelligence work. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anythingDo what you must, don't deprive the children of a father. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. I give you my blessing. 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. The 2019 'Netflix' miniseries 'The Spy' had actor Sacha Baron Cohen portraying Eli. (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. 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. Israel desperately tried to have his sentence commuted, and despite requests from world leaders and Pope Paul VI for clemency, Cohen was hanged publicly in May of that year. It says this "does not imply any special relationship or endorsement". Al-Hafidh wanted a million dollars for his services, texting: "1M for the minimum for kick start. 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. "I want to ask wasn't Eli worth the price? She had no idea about Elis secret mission and thus did not see the threats and risks involved. The Golan Heights defenses were top-secret and closed only to top military staff. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. [9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. He also requested her to remarry so that their children would have a father and she would have a partner. In December 1956, the Jewish Agency assisted Eli to deport to Israel in a vessel. Eli was brutally tortured and interrogated before he was publicly hanged on May 18, 1965, at the Marjeh Square in Damascus. But in 2018, Cohens watch was retrieved in a secret Mossad scheme. Qudsi was ousted from power as a result of the March 8 coup, but Hafiz did not take power until months later. Cohen was publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square in Damascus on 18 May 1965. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to capture it. References ^ Eli Cohen Knesset ^ Eli Cohen Ministry of Economy and Industry ^ Kulanu list Central Elections Committee In February 2007, a Turkish official assured assistance to Eli's family to get back his body. He was quickly able to infiltrate the highest levels of Syrian society. 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. Israeli spy's widow 'hurt' by Netflix biopic, but welcomes publicity In November that year, Nadia, wrote to Syrian politician and former president of Syria (19712000) Hafez al-Assad, asking him to forgive Eli and requesting him to hand over her husbands remains. Last Friday marked the 53rd anniversary of the execution of Eli Cohen, the Egyptian-born Israeli spy who burrowed his way so deep into the Syrian state apparatus he nearly came to head it. In 1957, Eli joined the Israel Defense Forces as a counterintelligence analyst and later applied for the Israeli intelligence agency 'Mossad,' which rejected him. And much of the credit for Israels ability to capture the Golan was due to Eli Cohen, Israels greatest spy. The drunk guests would often end up blabbing about their work to Cohen, who was sober but would pretend to be intoxicated. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. The execution was recorded on 35mm film. 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.. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. later he handed with Syrian passport in name of kamal Amin tabet, he advised to open a bank account in that name and start visiting Arab restaurants, the cinema where Arab movies are shown, and political club. Eli Cohen was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy best known for his espionage work in the 1960s in Syria, where it was alleged he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military. 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 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. Its waters flow into the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret) and south to the Dead Sea. tabet sends it to Argentina, where his friend dispatches them to Israel with a diplomatic pouch. 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. 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. 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. Nadia and 'Mossad' were on bad terms until Meir Dagan was made the agencys chief. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. 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. In Episode 5, Maurice puts the clues together when he covers for the regular analyst that communicates with Cohen using Morse code. Others have attributed the carelessness to an almost suicidal tendency perhaps, it was later surmised, he had been in the undercover world too long, but knew he couldnt get out of it. His fathers name was Amin Taabet, and his mothers Saadia Ibrahim. He also held parties at his home, which turned into orgies for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others, who used Elis apartment for assignations with various women, including Defense Ministry secretaries, airline hostesses, and Syrian singing stars. At these parties such highly-placed officials would talk freely of their work and army plans. Revealed: The Plan to Expand the Israeli Knesset by More Than Double, Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 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. He was supposed to stay in Buenos Aires as a Syrian migr businessman named Kamal Amin Taabet. [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. 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. Various reports say that Biton was unveiled and offered the option of becoming a double agent. His captors later remarked on his noble bearing and his courage despite the horrific Syrian interrogation methods. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. The Spy, a six-part Netflix miniseries about Cohen's life, showcases the legendary Mossad agent's relationship with his wife, Nadia (Hadar Ratzon Rotem). Steve Cohen's daughter Sophia splits from fianc - Page Six Maurice isn't sure what this means. If you've already watched all of The Spy and are curious to know more about Cohen, then these accounts of the real-life Cohen might make for curious reading. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. For as little as $6/month, you will: Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. He escaped punishment due to lack of evidence. After three months, Eli spoke passable Spanish, knew Buenos Aires well, dressed, and behaved like thousands of Arab immigrants living in Buenos Aires. [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. In January 1965, Syrian security services broke into Eli's apartment, where he was caught while he was escaping to Israel. [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. Nadia, however, never remarried. 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. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. Cohen was caught and eventually executed by Syrian authorities in 1965. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. Please try again or choose an option below. Nadia Cohen attempted to appeal for clemency at the Syrian Embassy in Paris but was turned away. He did not object, in fact, to the idea of a ladies man reputation. 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. In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. Eli Cohen was first sent to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to establish his cover as a Syrian emigre. Unending Agony for Legendary Spy Eli Cohen and His Widow It went wrong, really wrong," he said. Do what you must, don't deprive the children of a father. They observed a period of radio silence, in the hope that any illegal transmissions could be identified. 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. Nadia Cohen: The Untold Story of the wife of Eli Cohen 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. 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 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. Meanwhile, every few days he transmitted important information to his Israeli handlers via a radio transmitter he had hidden in his room. "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. He is being executed according to the two articles 158 and 159 of the military penal code, and articles 271, 272, and 274 of the general penal code. 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. Ahead of the mission, Cohen had to learn to speak Arabic in a Syrian accent rather than his native Egyptian. "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." Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. Recalling Elis final days, Nadia states he was in Bat Yam, with her and the three babies. 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. Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story - Refinery29 This week, KAN 11 began broadcasting a documentary series "Lochem 566," (Fighter 566, Cohen's Mossad codename). 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. He had three brothers. Fifty-Five Years without Eli Cohen | Tuvia Book | The Blogs try to make as many friends as possible, and establish contact with Arab leaders. Because of that, perhaps he just tired of the whole charade. 'The Spy' Creator Gideon Raff on the True, 'Heartbreaking' Love Story Warning: This article contains spoilers for all six episodes of The Spy. Following Israel's independence in 1949, when Jewish families were leaving Egypt, Eli stayed back to finish his electronics degree. In 1951, he was arrested and interrogated over his Jewish and Zionist activities that he was carrying out under the tutelage of Alexandria's chief rabbi. He had also participated in various Israeli furtive operations in the country during the 1950s. After weeks of surveillance, he was finalized and was put to training. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. 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. On August 31, 1959, he married a beautiful Iraqi-born Jew, Nadia Majald. Offended, he resigned from military counterintelligence and took up a clerical job in a Tel Aviv insurance office. He was sentenced to death. When the Baath took power in 1963, Eli was firmly entrenched in Syrian high society. The Spy is an aesthetically flawed portrait of Eli Cohen Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. Earlier communication between the alleged son and the intelligence agency reveals Al-Hafidh was adamant on receiving the money. Thats when he met Nadia Majald, an Iraqi-born Jewish woman who lived near his brother and his wife. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nadia-cohen-46980.php. (PMO), Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli spy Eli Cohen in The Spy (YouTube screenshot), Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965. Still, the memory of those domestic joys sustains Cohen while hes away. Get email notification for articles from Yossi Melman, Reproduction of an Israeli stamp being issued to honour the Mossad intelligence agency spy Eli Cohen who was hanged in Damascus. 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.". A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. Eli studied at a local Jewish community school and then attended the 'University of Alexandria' to study electrical engineering.