When the Golan was captured in 1967, at almost the end of the Six-Day War, settlers in the north could finally feel relieved. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. In the 1970s, they left Israel for Germany and in 1982, al-Gamal, alias Jacques Biton, died of an illness. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to Israel in 1957. He would also lend money to government officials, and many came to him for advice. 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. In 1965, the Syrian secret service was on high alert. 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. "I want to ask wasn't Eli worth the price? Cohen would then send intelligence back to Israel using a hidden radio transmitter. 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. Nadia, understandably, has remained fixated on her loss. He then moved to Damascus in February 1962, under his new identity, Kamel Amin Thaabet, to extract classified information from Syrian military officers. 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. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. After several days, Eli got a new identity as. Eli Cohen - Wikipedia Nadia (born Nadia Majald) is an Iraqi Jew who got married to Eli on August 31, 1959. Eli Cohen's son, Shaul, was only 2 weeks old when he last saw his father. The transmissions became longer as well. Eli Cohen, Israels most famous spy, also happened to be a hopeless romantic. "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." Kamal Amin Tabet hosted a glamorous party in Damascus, several ministers, a large number of general and colonel, top leaders of the Baath party, businessmen. 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. For more than 50 years, Nadia has fought to have her husbands body returned to Israel. The actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a . 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. In 1960, the national intelligence agency of Israel, 'Mossad,' approached Eli for a classified mission in Syria. Eli Cohen (politician born 1972) - Wikipedia After Hafez became Prime Minister, Eli was even considered to be named the Syrian Deputy Minister of Defense. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? One of the ministrys directors entered the room unannounced. 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. When Intelligence came by a second time, he jumped at it. In January 1965, Syrian government officials announced that Eli is an Israeli spy. In January 1965, Syrian security services broke into Eli's apartment, where he was caught while he was escaping to Israel. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935, [10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. And much of the credit for Israels ability to capture the Golan was due to Eli Cohen, Israels greatest spy. He was quickly able to infiltrate the highest levels of Syrian society. On May 18, 1965, Eli was publicly hanged at the Marjeh Square in Damascus, Syria. "Sophie's. Eli started transmitting his message to Israel daily at 8 a.m. After six months kamal Amin tabet become well known. [7] Cohen is married, has four children and lives in Holon. Israel's minister of defense Pinhas Lavon and colonel Benyamin Gibli head of military intelligence, concocted a dangerous and foolish plan if several terrorist bombings were swept Egypt, the British will return to its former bases and concluded that Egypt's couldn't maintain law and order. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. All these years, I remained faithful to him. (Haim Zach/GPO). On September 20, 2016, an unknown Syrian group named 'Syrian Art Treasures' posted a 'Facebook' video showing Eli's body after his execution. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. To no avail. Nine months later, in late 1961, Eli came back to Israel for a visit with his wife Nadia. He reminded me of my father sometimes, she added. I hope, pray, that he will be returned home by the time I die," Nadia told Haaretz in 2010. Learn more. Israeli spy's widow 'hurt' by Netflix biopic, but welcomes publicity Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. In 1963, during a business trip to Germany, he met Weltrude Scheffeldt, a divorcee, then 22 and with a small child, and married her. He emigrated to Israel with the assistance of the Jewish Agency. Were they not interested? 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 1964, Tel Dan Syria open fire on Israel tractors in the demilitarized zone. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to capture it. Prior to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. A number were only released 14 years later, after the 1967 War. 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. 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.". 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. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. In 'The Spy,' Sacha Baron Cohen Gets Serious : NPR tabet sends it to Argentina, where his friend dispatches them to Israel with a diplomatic pouch. The execution was broadcast on Syrian television. Reports earlier this year said a Russian delegation had removed his remains from Syria in an attempt to bring them to Israel. when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to Israel. become close friends. Since then, Nadia has always counted on him. 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.. Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. The new Ba'ath government initially installed Lu'ay al-Atassi as president in March 1963. He was hanged on May 18, 1965. I am begging you my dear Nadia not to spend your time in weeping about some thing already passed. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nadia-cohen-46980.php. [15], Cohen moved to Damascus in February 1962 under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet (Arabic: ). 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. In 2016, Nadia told 'Israel Radio' that former 'Mossad' chief Meir Dagan had asked the US officials to help bring Elis remains. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. 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. After weeks of surveillance, he was finalized and was put to training. Also in Episode 5, viewers see Hafiz assume power after demanding the resignation of Syria's then-president, Nazim al-Qudsi. 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. His final visit was in 1964. When the Baath took power in 1963, Eli was firmly entrenched in Syrian high society. 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. He made friends who moved in highly influential Syrian circles, transmitting his findings back to Israel via radio. 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. Eli Cohen Wife, Children | Israeli Spy biography | Last Letter to his 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. They even started to organize a ceremony for Eli at the 'Mossad' headquarters in Glilot. [26], Monthir Maosily, the former bureau chief of Hafez Al-Assad, claimed in August 2008 that the Syrians had buried him three times to stop the remains from being taken back to Israel via a special operation. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. "Soon after, my commanding officers summoned me to my base and informed me that Eli had spoken to them about the phone number incident. The Syrians and their Russian advisers were alarmed by the intelligence that was seeping out of the country. It is for these reasons Eli Cohen is known as Israels greatest spy. After three months, Eli spoke passable Spanish, knew Buenos Aires well, dressed, and behaved like thousands of Arab immigrants living in Buenos Aires. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. [9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. Monthir Maosily, a former bureau chief for Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, claimed in 2007 that Hafiz and Cohen were not as close as was made out and that stories of Cohen infiltrating the very top of Syrian politics "had been exaggerated to undermine Syria, as if he was a spy who had transmitted Syria's deepest secrets.". He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. 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. He did not object, in fact, to the idea of a ladies man reputation. In exchange for his freedom, he agreed to work for Egypt's intelligence service. [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. [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. Once Cohen had established his background, he was inserted into the "target country," Syria, and operated with great success for four years until his capture. The Kinneret supplies Israel with most of its water needs. The children could not react to Eli's absence. He arrived in Israel on February 8, 1957. . In 1963, new Ramdas replaced Meir Amit for a few months in charge of both a man and Mossad. His first assignment was to infiltrate the Jewish community of Alexandria. Nadia, however, never remarried. 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. The Syrians have consistently refused to do so. one evening he met one gentleman, Abdel Latif Hassan, editor in chief of Arab world magazine publish in Argentina. The president was ousted from power a year later in 1966. [7], In January 1965, Syrian officials, who used Soviet-made tracking equipment and were assisted by Soviet experts, increased their efforts to find a high-level spy. The three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. He then underwent a show trial, like the Operation Susannah spies had in Egypt 12 years before., Like them, his verdict was predetermined. With time he was taken even more into the confidence of the highest echelons of power. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. Eli expressed his fear and wish to terminate his assignment in Syria during his last visit to Israel in November 1964. 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. He was sentenced to death. 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. The text messages between Khalid and the NZSIS. 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. Cohen was born in 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt to a devout Mizrahi Jewish and Zionist family. Elis friendship with Amin al-Hafez proved very valuable. Maurice Cohen told his brother he had a new phone line installed in his house and "gave the number of his apartment in Damascus, which I had received in a message just before he'd come home.". 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. Nadia and 'Mossad' were on bad terms until Meir Dagan was made the agencys chief. Eli was, however, persuaded continuously by Israeli intelligence agencies to return to Syria. The execution was recorded on 35mm film. Eli seemed to have completed the final stage in establishing his network. In the short periods he came home he wanted to absorb all the love from his children, he even smelt their scent to stay with him, and he wanted to give all the love possible, like a father to his children. She smiles. 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 had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. She also said she understood and respected the show. He was eventually exposed and captured by Syrian Intelligence in 1965, sentenced to death and hung at Damascus' main square. Eli was, however, taken in by 'Mossad' when Director-General Meir Amit was in search of a special agent to infiltrate the Syrian government. 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. He continued his social life, spending a lot of time in cafes listening to political gossip. But what happened next apparently deviates from the way it appears in the show. He was caught and sentenced to death. Al-Hafidh then sent his bank details, but the deal went cold. 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 hierarchy and became the chief adviser to the country's defense minister. 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. Their youngest child, Shai, was only 21 days old then. [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". "This cooperation brings significant benefits to New Zealand's national security, we help them (Mossad), and they help us," they added. The condom was used as a timing tool for mixed chemicals and produce a minor burst of fire. He was supposed to stay in Buenos Aires as a Syrian migr businessman named Kamal Amin Taabet. During their exchange, Cohen signs off by asking, "Did N get the Singer?" Eli had lost his friends, in 1957 he immigrates to Israel. "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. 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? The news spread everywhere that the Syrian leader is a spy, a president friend, a millionaire. Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. "I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has past," his final letter read. They were caught spying for Israel in 1953 and some of them were hanged. Eli Cohen's daughter Sofia Ben-Dor was excited about it because that is all they have. 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. But in 1965, he was unmasked. In Episode 5, Maurice puts the clues together when he covers for the regular analyst that communicates with Cohen using Morse code. His wife, Nadia, would be left a widow with three very young children. They observed a period of radio silence, in the hope that any illegal transmissions could be identified. 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. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. 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. In the footsteps of a spy: Exploring the Golan's Eli Cohen Trail The location of Cohen's body remains unknown. Eli studied at a local Jewish community school and then attended the 'University of Alexandria' to study electrical engineering. In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. 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 . 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. To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Buenos Aires in 1961. Eli Cohen, at 29, offered his services to the Israeli Intelligence Services but was rebuked twice. He worked as an accountant and translator. For the next two years, he worked as a filing clerk in a Tel Aviv insurance office. [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. Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen) was the kind of guy to leave his wife spontaneous love letters throughout the house. 4 Min Read. he soon became a well-known figure in the Arab circle. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. Eventually, they had three children: Sophie Ben-Dor, Irit Peleg, and Shai Cohen. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924, the second of eight children in a family of orthodox Jews. The border with Syria was heating up as well. 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. 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. [24], Following the 1963 Syrian coup d'tat, newly appointed Syrian Intelligence Colonel Ahmed Suidani disliked Cohen and did not trust figures close to the Second Syrian Republic. 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. After several days, Eli got a new identity as Kamal Amin Tablet, son of Syrian parents, born in Beirut. 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. 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. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eli-cohen-16869.php. His family is now settled in Bat Yam. Qudsi was ousted from power as a result of the March 8 coup, but Hafiz did not take power until months later. 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. We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. Nadia Cohen Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life, Achievements he transfers all operations to Mossad, Eli was now Mossad agent. Nadia was told that Eli was working for the ministry of defense and would be completely safe. He was convicted in a trial without a defense and sentenced to death. There he met members of the Jewish Underground, handled by Unit 131 of Israel's Military Intelligence, which was exposed by the Egyptians in 1954. Widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen: 'When he was caught, something died He set up a travel agency in Tel Aviv and developed ties with the upper echelons of Israeli society, including politicians. But in 2018, Cohens watch was retrieved in a secret Mossad scheme. He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. The saga of Eli Cohen, Israel's greatest spy - San Diego Jewish World Two of them were Abraham and Maurice. I give you my blessing. Eliyahu (Eli) Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, was born in Alexandria in 1924. He genuinely fit into life in the Syrian capital, and he was never suspected of being a spy until almost the very end. "It works with a range of international intelligence agencies,'' the NZSIS said in response. His successes couldn't be vocally shared with his family, however. 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. One of his friends found a new job as an accountant, month later he Marty with Nadia, a nurse of Iraqi origin. one after the other 69 people were arrested. He was stunned by the precision of the Israeli bombing during the 1964 attack. Before leaving, Cohen assured his wife it would be his last trip before he returned home permanently. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. He says the spies wanted him to try and talk to his father's close friends or provide insight. 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. The agent replied: "Will do, thanks K". 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 day Cohen was sitting in Saifs office reading a classified document while the Syrian was on the phone. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. The Golan Heights defenses were top-secret and closed only to top military staff. [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. He soon established himself in the social and cultural life of the Syrian community of Buenos Aires and was known as a wealthy businessman who was generous, tipped well, and loved the night life. After the Israel Independence War In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. the plan was doomed from staring, one of the bombs exploded in the pocket of Philip Natanson and was arrested by police and other members were caught in the following days.