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. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. References ^ Eli Cohen Knesset ^ Eli Cohen Ministry of Economy and Industry ^ Kulanu list Central Elections Committee [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. Eli had lost his friends, in 1957 he immigrates to Israel. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. He says the spies wanted him to try and talk to his father's close friends or provide insight. He would also lend money to government officials, and many came to him for advice. Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. "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. During their exchange, Cohen signs off by asking, "Did N get the Singer?" In a February 2006 interview with Jewish Magazine, Maurice Cohen said that he informed his brother that he knew he was "our man in Damascus" in an intriguing way, rather than outright confronting him as seen in The Spy. Kamal Amin Taabet (also called Tabas in some sources) was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Syrian Muslim parents. Show creator Gideon Raff's limited series has brought renewed attention to the life and work of Eli Cohen. In exchange for his freedom, he agreed to work for Egypt's intelligence service. 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. Last year, Israel was able to retrieve Cohens wristwatch from Syria and return it to his family. He sent intelligence to Israel by radio, secret letters, and occasionally in person; he secretly traveled to Israel three times. Later, visiting his sister-in-law, Cohen's wife Nadia, he notices that she has a brand new Singer sewing machine in her home. 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. I had gotten under his cover," said Maurice Cohen. Earlier communication between the alleged son and the intelligence agency reveals Al-Hafidh was adamant on receiving the money. 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. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to capture it. 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. Eli seemed to have completed the final stage in establishing his network. The drunk guests would often end up blabbing about their work to Cohen, who was sober but would pretend to be intoxicated. Altogether, he returned to Israel three times between 1962 and 1965. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. "I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has past," his final letter read. Sacha Baron Cohen-led limited series "The Spy" which comes out today on Netflix tells the true story of how famed Israeli Mossad agent Eli Cohen went undercover in 1960s Syria. In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. Speaking to Cohen's brother, and to Israeli and Syrian intelligence experts, Sputnik has pieced together a new look at the superspy's incredible life story. He has reached the apex of success, and it seems that there is no door he can't open. He died in 2009. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. His family is now settled in Bat Yam. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eli-cohen-16869.php. Today, one can see the former Syrian bunkers that remain on the Golan Heights from 1967 (as well as the tanks from 1973). Eli Cohen (pictured, at center) was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents who had immigrated to Alexandria from Aleppo, Syria. Eli Cohenalso learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. Cohen later. There is always the risk that the agent remains loyal to his original handlers and has managed to fool his new bosses. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924, the second of eight children in a family of orthodox Jews. One day in 1960 Israeli Intelligence approached him about working for them again. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. But what happened next apparently deviates from the way it appears in the show. Syria tortures him but he was still lying, his face was covered with wounds, his nail was pulled out. 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. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. It says this "does not imply any special relationship or endorsement". In November 1965, Eli's wife wrote to Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, requesting him to send Elis remains back to Israel. Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. [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. The execution was broadcast on Syrian television. when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. "Sophie's. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. 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. [12][20][21] Cohen was able to find out that the Syrians planned to divert the Jordan River headwaters in an attempt to deprive Israel of water resources, providing information to Israeli forces that enabled them to destroy the equipment prepared for the task. His graduate report stated that he had all the qualities needed to become a katsa, or field agent. He was interrogated and tortured. [16][17] Mossad had carefully planned the tactics that he was to use in building relationships with high-ranking Syrian politicians, military officials, influential public figures, and the diplomatic community. I want him (Yossi Cohen) to clarify what hapepned," said the 84-year-old. He set up a travel agency in Tel Aviv and developed ties with the upper echelons of Israeli society, including politicians. Nadia wishes to be buried beside Elis grave. Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. [6] Cohen spoke five languages fluently. One of the ministrys directors entered the room unannounced. The previous year, which marked Elis 50th death anniversary, Nadia had addressed a memorial dedicated to him. The information he had been providing them for years was too good to forego. [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". He worked as an accountant and translator. On January 24, 1965, Syrian intelligence broke into his home in the middle of a transmission. Eli was, however, persuaded continuously by Israeli intelligence agencies to return to Syria. Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. He emigrated to Israel with the assistance of the Jewish Agency. [12], He was then given a false identity as a Syrian businessman who was returning to the country after living in Argentina. Thats when he met Nadia Majald, an Iraqi-born Jewish woman who lived near his brother and his wife. By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. He worked as an accountant and translator. In 1963, new Ramdas replaced Meir Amit for a few months in charge of both a man and Mossad. At the same time, Israeli officials devised escape schemes and appealed to international organizations. "We have six grandchildren," she says with pride as she points to a family photo on the wall. 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. By 1960, however, Israeli Intelligence was ready to take another look at Eli Cohen. 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. Unfortunately, Nadia and her family are still waiting to get Elis body and have not made peace with it. 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. 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. Fiyaz Mughal,Eli Cohens body must be returned to Israel, The JC, (Undated). he goes abroad for business and meets Nadia and Sophie in Bat Yam. One of them was Colonel Amin al-Hafaz, a supporter of the secular-leftist Baath party. [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. you lived with your uncle and worked as a travel agency, later were very successful. 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. ", "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 three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. 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. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. According to Maurice Cohen, this really happened. His first assignment was to infiltrate the Jewish community of Alexandria. He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. Confused, he took the case to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, the official responsible for supervising New Zealand's two main intelligence agencies, telling him he could have solved the 53-year-old mystery. Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. The transmissions became longer as well. Eli expressed his fear and wish to terminate his assignment in Syria during his last visit to Israel in November 1964. soon Israel's tanks and cannon riposted with heavy fire, and minutes later mirage pounded the Syrian position and blasted the cannon of Syria that was dug. Cohen was born and raised in Egypt and was expelled to Israel in 1956. Eli was arrested but soon released due to a lack of evidence. In 1963, during a business trip to Germany, he met Weltrude Scheffeldt, a divorcee, then 22 and with a small child, and married her. they carry out several bombings in Cairo and Alexandria, targeting libraries and cultural centers, cinemas, post offices. 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. Ahead of the mission, Cohen had to learn to speak Arabic in a Syrian accent rather than his native Egyptian. [9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. Eli Cohen provided an incredible amount of intelligence data to the Israeli Army over a period of three years. In 1960, he was recruited to join the Mossad for a special mission in which he was to pretend to be a Syrian businessman returning to the country after having lived in Argentina. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. 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. 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. For a while, Cohen tried his hand at civilian life. their chief noticed that their decision taken by the government was broadcast to Israel. Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. In the interview, she said that her husband left behind memoirs, notes and other evidence. On August 31, 1959, he married a beautiful Iraqi-born Jew, Nadia Majald. He carefully cultivated contacts with the Baath leadership, which included the Syrian military attach in Argentina, General Amin al-Hafaz. 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. "I want to ask wasn't Eli worth the price? They successfully detected radio transmissions and were able to triangulate the transmitter. 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. Again, I. Over the years, her relationship with the Mossad and that of her children, Sophie Ben-Dor, Irit Peleg and Shai Cohen, unraveled. 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. 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. The execution was recorded on 35mm film. But within a month he had lost his Tel Aviv-based accountancy job. The location of Cohen's body remains unknown. Recruitment into the Mossad. Syria has not even disclosed the location of Eli's grave. "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. In 1960, Cohen was recruited to be part of a dangerous mission to Syria. The Kinneret supplies Israel with most of its water needs. While there, he gained the trust of Amin al-Hafez, who would later become Syrias president. Ben-Dor was pessimistic that Israel would soon be able to retrieve her fathers body from Syria. Hes a trusted friend.. The Baath party was rising to power and Eli Cohen wanted to be there when it took power. All these years, I remained faithful to him. After some months, Abdel Latif Hassan introduces Eli to General Amin El-Hafez, the military attache at the embassy. This version contradicts that of Israel's secret service. 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 Still, Israeli Intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. Given their history of a paper trail, its fitting but heartbreaking to learn that their final exchange also took place over written correspondence. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anything. [9], Cohen continued his social life as he had in Argentina, spending time in cafes listening to political gossip. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours.
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