In November 1965, Eli's wife wrote to Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, requesting him to send Elis remains back to Israel. The president was ousted from power a year later in 1966. 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. However, Eli's loyalty was scrutinized, and he faced harassment by the 'Muslim Brotherhood.' "It works with a range of international intelligence agencies,'' the NZSIS said in response. Al-Hafidh wanted a million dollars for his services, texting: "1M for the minimum for kick start. According to Scheffeldt, al-Gamal wrote in his memoirs of his friendship with Marcelle Ninio, who was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in the Jewish Underground, and also about Eli Cohen. It says this "does not imply any special relationship or endorsement". Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. 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. According to his fictional biography, in 1948 the family moved to Argentina, where they opened a successful textile business. Kamal Amin Taabets (Eli Cohen) return to Syria would ostensibly be the fulfillment of a lifelong patriotic dream. 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. The unit bombed unoccupied American and British installations, expecting that this would be considered the work of Egyptians. In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. 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. Sacha Baron Cohen in 'The Spy' as Eli Cohen. The watch is now on display at the 'Mossad' headquarters. "It was all for good intentions. 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. Despite being away from home for months at a time, he fathered three children, Sophie, Irit and Shai. Born Country:- Iraq Wife/Husband/Ex:- Eli Cohen (m. 1959-1965) Children:- Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen Nadia Cohen is the widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who spied in Syria by posing as a wealthy merchant during the early 1960s before being caught and hanged to death publicly. They further said that the use of the term "partner" is generic and is applied to all those agencies with which we have contact. Show creator Gideon Raff's limited series has brought renewed attention to the life and work of Eli Cohen. 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. 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. 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. Eli Cohen was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents, who had migrated to Alexandria from Syria. In 1965, the Syrian secret service was on high alert. 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. Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen) was the kind of guy to leave his wife spontaneous love letters throughout the house. He was driven to the airport, where his wife Nadia saw him off. In January 1965, Syrian government officials announced that Eli is an Israeli spy. Since then, Nadia has always counted on him. 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. 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. Eli was friends with two highly placed Army officers, Colonels Hatoum and Dali, who were fully informed about the scheme. In 1960, Cohen was approached by the Mossad for a mission in Syria. In Episode 5, Maurice puts the clues together when he covers for the regular analyst that communicates with Cohen using Morse code. [4], Cohen provided an extensive amount and wide range of intelligence data for the Israeli Army between 1961 and 1965. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nadia-cohen-46980.php. On July 5, 2018, media channels announced that Elis wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria, which was later given back to Eli's family by 'Mossad' in a ceremony. Thats why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. Source:The Pedagogic Center, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, (c) 1992-2007. As we saw, the Syrians continually harassed Israels northern settlements from 1948-67. His training was extensive and exhaustive. [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). After three months, Eli spoke passable Spanish, knew Buenos Aires well, dressed, and behaved like thousands of Arab immigrants living in Buenos Aires. How is it that you dare allow a stranger to read a classified document? he angrily asked Saif. Nadia Cohen, widow of executed Israeli spy Eli Cohen, speaks to Channel 2 on September 20, 2016 after Syrian opposition forces release new video showing moments after he was hanged in. Still, the memory of those domestic joys sustains Cohen while hes away. He was a legend," I declare. The three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. I understand and respect [it], she said in a separate interview earlier Sunday with the network. Still Ben-Dor, who was four years old when her father was killed, said she was pleasantly surprised by actor Cohens portrayal. Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Defense Minister Ezer Weizmann, Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, and several Mossad operatives all attended his son's Bar Mitzvah in 1977. Thanks". Saif calmly replied, Theres nothing to worry about. He had three brothers. Irit does not know her father. The Israeli government and Cohens widow have for many years sought the return of Elis body. At the beginning of the 1956 War, when Israel occupied the Sinai, Eli Cohen was detained by the Egyptian authorities, and was expelled from Egypt along with the remainder of Alexandrian Jews at the end of the war. 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. This article was originally published in May 2005 and republished to coincide with the release of "The Spy" - a Netflix series about Eli Cohen's life. . Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. Its unfamiliar to me, this form of expression in a global television series. In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. [8] His most famous achievement was the tour of the Golan Heights in which he collected intelligence on the Syrian fortifications there. As Intelligence Chief Meir Amit said, Eli succeeded far beyond the capabilities of most other men.. Melita Norwood | longest-serving British spy | Melita Norwood Book, Death, Family, Daughter | melita norwood images. Various reports say that Biton was unveiled and offered the option of becoming a double agent. In 1957, Eli joined the Israel Defense Forces as a counterintelligence analyst and later applied for the Israeli intelligence agency 'Mossad,' which rejected him. However, running a double agent is considered to be one of the most complex missions in intelligence work. 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.. But he spent most of his time in Tel Aviv perfecting his cover and being briefed on Amans requirements of him in Syria, as well as last-minute intelligence data needed for his mission. His success in effectively penetrating the Syrian social and political/diplomatic/military strata already wildly exceeded Amans expectations of him, Cohen arrived in Damascus in February 1962, posing as a businessman from Argentina who had returned to his native land. Eli Cohen was the man for the job. Eli Cohen's daughter lukewarm on 'The Spy,' but likes Sacha Baron Cohen One of his friends found a new job as an accountant, month later he Marty with Nadia, a nurse of Iraqi origin. Eli, after all, was born in an Arab country, had oriental features, was known to be selfless and fearless in pursuit of a cause, and had knowledge of Arabic, English, and French. He is best known for his espionage work in 196165 in Syria, where he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy.[1][2][3]. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. 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. 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. At these parties, Cohen "dispensed free-flowing liquor and prostitutes",[1] and highly placed officials would openly discuss their work and army plans. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. [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. She was told he would be completely safe, and she believed that until his capture in 1965. "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. The Spy's Widow // After many decades, Nadia Cohen is keeping the Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. 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. Do you rely on The Times of Israel for accurate and insightful news on Israel and the Jewish world? In January 1965, Syrian security officers broke into Elis apartment while he was in the middle of his escape to Israel. 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. Maurice isn't sure what this means. Please try again or choose an option below. Later, visiting his sister-in-law, Cohen's wife Nadia, he notices that she has a brand new Singer sewing machine in her home. 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. I am begging you my dear Nadia not to spend your time in weeping about some thing already passed. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen heads to Germany Tuesday as part of Israel's campaign to halt Iran's . He escaped punishment due to lack of evidence. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. 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? 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. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. (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. 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. 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. Intelligence officers who investigated the issue offered two possibilities: The first is that it was Egyptian intelligence that identified Cohen and gave him up to the Syrians; the second, which is considered more probable, is that the demand for information was so great that frequent communications via radio to Mossad headquarters exposed Cohen to Syrian counterintelligence. These skills were instrumental in ensuring the safety and survival of one Kamal Amin Taabet: Eli Cohens new identity. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. Steve Cohen's daughter Sophia splits from fianc - Page Six He wrote a last letter to his wife before he mounted the scaffold to a seething crowd. With senior staff officers acting as guides, Eli Cohen was provided an in-depth intelligence briefing of monumental proportions. They even photographed Eli on the Golan Heights, looking over into Israel, alongside the most high-ranking Syrian officers. 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. Kamal Amin Taabet (also called Tabas in some sources) was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Syrian Muslim parents. 4 Min Read. Syria tortures him but he was still lying, his face was covered with wounds, his nail was pulled out. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. Al-Gamal rushed to inform his superiors that Thabet was none other than Eli Cohen, the Alexandrian Jew. 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. He reminded me of my father sometimes, she added. I give you my blessing. 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. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eli-cohen-16869.php. he transfers all operations to Mossad, Eli was now Mossad agent. Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? [18], Cohen made repeated visits to the southern frontier zone, providing photographs and sketches of Syrian positions. In the 1970s, they left Israel for Germany and in 1982, al-Gamal, alias Jacques Biton, died of an illness. Israeli spy's widow 'hurt' by Netflix biopic, but welcomes publicity They were caught spying for Israel in 1953 and some of them were hanged. In the 1987 TV movie 'The Impossible Spy,' Michal Bat-Adam portrayed Nadia, while in the 2019 'Netflix' series 'The Spy,' Hadar Ratzon-Rotem played her, with Sacha Baron Cohen as Eli. He was interrogated and tortured. His new friends introduced Eli to top government officials, senior army officers, and leaders of the ruling party. The Kinneret supplies Israel with most of its water needs. 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. The Golan Heights defenses were top-secret and closed only to top military staff. But in 1965, he was unmasked. In 1949, his parents and three brothers moved to Israel while Eli remained in Egypt to coordinate Jewish and Zionist activities there. The execution was broadcast on Syrian television. The newly appointed Syrian intelligence colonel, Ahmed Su'edani, disliked Eli. On May 18, 1965, Eli was publicly hanged at the Marjeh Square in Damascus, Syria. he soon became a well-known figure in the Arab circle. Reports earlier this year said a Russian delegation had removed his remains from Syria in an attempt to bring them to Israel. At Kfar Habad, on July 29, 1977, at the joint Bar Mitzvah for 100 fatherless boys, in the presence of Prime Minister. In 1961, Eli was sent to Buenos Aires in the guise of a Syrian textile businessman. Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story, American History Has Been Whitewashed, But, Black Teen Girls On TV Are A Mess Finally. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Israeli ambassador, Itzhak Gerberg, would not comment on the report. When Intelligence came by a second time, he jumped at it. ", "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. 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. (Haim Zach/GPO). In his late teens, Cohen became an ardent Zionist and at the same time, as .
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