But his knowledge of. 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. [6] Cohen spoke five languages fluently. He was sentenced to death. [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. At the same time, Israeli officials devised escape schemes and appealed to international organizations. One day Cohen was sitting in Saifs office reading a classified document while the Syrian was on the phone. His wife, Nadia, would be left a widow with three very young children. 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. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. At this time the Ba'ath Party was illegal in Syria but the party seized power in 1963. He lasted until just July that year when he resigned in protest of the Ba'ath military committee executing dissenting rivals who tried to stage a coup for power. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Israeli ambassador, Itzhak Gerberg, would not comment on the report. The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the. "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. Periodically Eli would return to Israel to speak with his Israeli handlers and visit his wife and small children. Fortunately, several were easy to spot, for they . Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future! He was caught and sentenced to death. The transmissions became longer as well. He would also lend money to government officials, and many came to him for advice. (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 Golan Heights defenses were top-secret and closed only to top military staff. However, Eli's loyalty was scrutinized, and he faced harassment by the 'Muslim Brotherhood.' 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]. He soon became accepted, well-liked, and respected, and made contacts with politicians, diplomats and military officials working out of the Syrian Embassy. He made friends who moved in highly influential Syrian circles, transmitting his findings back to Israel via radio. Already a member? Over the years, her relationship with the Mossad and that of her children, Sophie Ben-Dor, Irit Peleg and Shai Cohen, unraveled. In Episode 5, Maurice puts the clues together when he covers for the regular analyst that communicates with Cohen using Morse code. ", "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. On May 18, 1965, Eli was publicly hanged at the Marjeh Square in Damascus, Syria. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nadia-cohen-46980.php. From 1961 to 1965, Eli transmitted crucial intelligence data, including that of the Golan Heights, to the Israeli army. He sent intelligence to Israel by radio, secret letters, and occasionally in person; he secretly traveled to Israel three times. Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. [19] He also learned of a secret plan to create three successive lines of bunkers and mortars; the Israel Defense Forces would otherwise have expected to encounter only a single line. 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. He returned home to his family only a few times during his mission. 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. 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. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? He died in 2009. He would entertain high-ranking politicians and military officials at extravagant parties where there would be many women and lots of booze. 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. Melita Norwood | longest-serving British spy | Melita Norwood Book, Death, Family, Daughter | melita norwood images. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. He worked as an accountant and translator. 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. It doesnt fit our story but I understand the situation. 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. In 1965, the Syrian secret service was on high alert. At Kfar Habad, on July 29, 1977, at the joint Bar Mitzvah for 100 fatherless boys, in the presence of Prime Minister. 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. In December 1956, the Jewish Agency assisted Eli to deport to Israel in a vessel. In 1962 Eli cohen was in Damascus with crowded mosques and colorful souks, he rented a luxurious villa in the classy Abu Ramen neighborhood, close to the Syrian embassy. "It works with a range of international intelligence agencies,'' the NZSIS said in response. Reports earlier this year said a Russian delegation had removed his remains from Syria in an attempt to bring them to Israel. 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. 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. 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. Despite this, however, Israeli intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. 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. After several days, Eli got a new identity as Kamal Amin Tablet, son of Syrian parents, born in Beirut. He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. 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 was, however, persuaded continuously by Israeli intelligence agencies to return to Syria. A year later, in 1965, Cohen was caught transmitting over the radio back to Tel Aviv. Eli, who would feign intoxication, remained sober and listened carefully., In addition to providing loans to government officials and acting as an avid host, he was asked for advice by government officials, who were often intoxicated by the alcohol he freely provided. He was supposed to stay in Buenos Aires as a Syrian migr businessman named Kamal Amin Taabet. Over the years, Nadia has made several efforts to seek a bit of mercy from Syrian officials. In the 1970s, they left Israel for Germany and in 1982, al-Gamal, alias Jacques Biton, died of an illness. "We have six grandchildren," she says with pride as she points to a family photo on the wall. 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. As Intelligence Chief Meir Amit said, Eli succeeded far beyond the capabilities of most other men.. She smiles. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. [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). 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. [8] His most famous achievement was the tour of the Golan Heights in which he collected intelligence on the Syrian fortifications there. According to Scheffeldt, Cohen and al-Gamal were arrested together in 1954 and released shortly after. After Hafez became Prime Minister, Eli was even considered to be named the Syrian Deputy Minister of Defense. It was hard to see the distance from the truth in some parts of the series, Sophie Ben-Dor said in an interview with Channel 12 news. 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. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. Again, I. He had an input into and an impact on Syrian national defense and was privy to almost all their secrets. 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.. Nevertheless, Kamal Amin Taabet (Eli Cohen) succeeded in visiting every position. Following Israel's independence in 1949, when Jewish families were leaving Egypt, Eli stayed back to finish his electronics degree. In February 1962, Cohen moved to Damascus. The daughter of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen said Sunday "it hurt" to watch the new Netflix series about her father's life and execution in Syria, lamenting some historical inaccuracies in. To no avail. In 1960, the national intelligence agency of Israel, 'Mossad,' approached Eli for a classified mission in Syria. I had gotten under his cover," said Maurice Cohen. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. 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 was promised support in any venture he might wish to undertake, and the generous sums of cash which he appeared to possess appealed to the unscrupulous who thought he could provide grease to their financial ambitions, as well as patriotic Syrians who hoped for an infusion of foreign capital into the Syrian state. 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. Syria tortures him but he was still lying, his face was covered with wounds, his nail was pulled out. Eli Cohen, at 29, offered his services to the Israeli Intelligence Services but was rebuked twice. This version contradicts that of Israel's secret service. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. The TV film 'The Impossible Spy' (1987) chronicled Eli's life. 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. 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. He was interrogated and tortured. [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. For 19 years, Jewish settlements in the north were under constant threat of Syrian guns. children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxhaPGREa74. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. His remains have yet to be returned, despite pleas from his family. [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. The new Ba'ath government initially installed Lu'ay al-Atassi as president in March 1963. 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 . The Ba'athist coup and Eli Cohen's role. you lived with your uncle and worked as a travel agency, later were very successful. On January 25, 2000, Nadia presented a picture of a new postage stamp with Elis face, to Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, honoring her husband. 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. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. His new friends introduced Eli to top government officials, senior army officers, and leaders of the ruling party. Israel has for decades worked to retrieve his remains. That is, until Meir Dagan took over as chief. 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. tabet sends it to Argentina, where his friend dispatches them to Israel with a diplomatic pouch. The drunk guests would often end up blabbing about their work to Cohen, who was sober but would pretend to be intoxicated. He emigrated to Israel with the assistance of the Jewish Agency. Cohen was born in 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt to a devout Mizrahi Jewish and Zionist family. 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. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. After a few months, Eli was visited by George Salem Seif, a radio show host in charge of radio Damascus broadcast for Syrian abord. 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). The following year, Syria found out about Cohen by tracing his intelligence transmissions to Israel. 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. [12][16], In 2016, a Syrian group calling itself "Syrian art treasures" posted a video on Facebook showing Cohen's body after his execution. Cohen was publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square in Damascus on 18 May 1965. Last year, Israel was able to retrieve Cohens wristwatch from Syria and return it to his family. 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. [8], Cohen was found guilty of espionage by a military tribunal and sentenced to death under martial law. Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. Cohen wrote in his final letter on 15 May 1965:[7]. The unit bombed unoccupied American and British installations, expecting that this would be considered the work of Egyptians. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. Syrian counterintelligence eventually uncovered the spy conspiracy and convicted Cohen under pre-war martial law, sentencing him to death and hanging him publicly in 1965. 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. In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. one evening he met one gentleman, Abdel Latif Hassan, editor in chief of Arab world magazine publish in Argentina. Eli expressed his fear and wish to terminate his assignment in Syria during his last visit to Israel in November 1964. He worked as an accountant and translator. Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence. She once called her children and four grandchildren to her home in Herzliya, clicked a photo of them together, and sent it to Assad, congratulating him on the birth of his son, Bashar. Using Biton, Israel "fed" Egypt with false intelligence that reportedly contributed to the Six Day War victory. [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. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anything. Its waters flow into the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret) and south to the Dead Sea. Cohen was caught and eventually executed by Syrian authorities in 1965. Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story, American History Has Been Whitewashed, But, Black Teen Girls On TV Are A Mess Finally. 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.. 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. The goal was to gather intelligence from high-ranking Syrian politicians and military officials. 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 Nadia believed it and went to see him off at the airport in 1961. 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. Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen) was the kind of guy to leave his wife spontaneous love letters throughout the house. He genuinely fit into life in the Syrian capital, and he was never suspected of being a spy until almost the very end. It was after Atassi resigned on July 27 that Hafiz was named president. Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. [18], Cohen made repeated visits to the southern frontier zone, providing photographs and sketches of Syrian positions. After some months, Abdel Latif Hassan introduces Eli to General Amin El-Hafez, the military attache at the embassy. "There was great excitement because it is essentially the only item of dad that came back, we have nothing. 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. Military Stories site will provide you the latest News related to military. 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. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. Cohen was convicted of espionage. In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. His fathers name was Amin Taabet, and his mothers Saadia Ibrahim. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. I think as long as Bashar Assad is in power I dont see the word progress,' she said, referring to Syrias dictator. 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. Since then, Nadia has always counted on him. Cohen later. become close friends. click the link in that email to complete your registration. 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. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. Eli's handlers were continually persuading him to return. 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.. Another tutor trained him to speak Arabic. Elis connections enabled him to be taken to the Golan Heights a major strategic asset for Syria from 1948-67. They warned me not to discuss the issue with Eli anymore and to share his secret with no one.". I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever. 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.". In the interview, she said that her husband left behind memoirs, notes and other evidence. In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935, [10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. [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". [4] His father had moved there from Aleppo in 1914. He ultimately complied. [9] The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence,[25] but the Syrians refused. However, running a double agent is considered to be one of the most complex missions in intelligence work. [7], Following state-sponsored anti-Semitic attacks on its Jewish communities, many of them fled or were expelled, and Cohen was forced to leave the country in December 1956. 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. He wasnt even drafted into regular service but was placed in a reserve Israeli Air Force formation as a logistics clerk. Perhaps he wasnt allowed into the security service due to his Military Intelligence evaluation some years before. Elis larger-than-life persona has attracted many filmmakers, who have then used his story for their projects. Eli Cohen's daughter Sofia Ben-Dor was excited about it because that is all they have. One of the ministrys directors entered the room unannounced. 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. 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. Eliyahu (Eli) Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, was born in Alexandria in 1924. What is perhaps most amazing about Eli Cohen is that he was genuinely liked even loved by so many of the top Syrian leaders.