Following Israel's independence in 1949, when Jewish families were leaving Egypt, Eli stayed back to finish his electronics degree. [34], The Israeli settlement Eliad on the Golan Heights is named for him.[35]. The children could not react to Eli's absence. 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. Elis friendship with Amin al-Hafez proved very valuable. 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. After some months, Abdel Latif Hassan introduces Eli to General Amin El-Hafez, the military attache at the embassy. Cohen would then send intelligence back to Israel using a hidden radio transmitter. Eli married Iraqi Jewish Nadia Majald, sister of Hebrew author Sami Michael, in 1959. Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Eli expressed his fear and wish to terminate his assignment in Syria during his last visit to Israel in November 1964. [11] Start with Mossad [ edit] 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. 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. In 1960, Cohen was recruited to be part of a dangerous mission to Syria. Cohen was then informed that Mossad had decided to recruit him and underwent an intensive six-month course at the Mossad training school. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. Over the years, Nadia has made several efforts to seek a bit of mercy from Syrian officials. 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. "This cooperation brings significant benefits to New Zealand's national security, we help them (Mossad), and they help us," they added. Various reports say that Biton was unveiled and offered the option of becoming a double agent. The Spy sees a friendship blossoming between Eli Cohen and Amin al-Hafiz, the future president of Syria, that begins as Cohen first goes undercover as Thaabet in Buenos Aires and mutually benefits them both for yearsright through to Cohen's discovery as an Israeli spy and subsequent execution. The three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. He made friends who moved in highly influential Syrian circles, transmitting his findings back to Israel via radio. 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. In January 1947, he was enlisted in the Egyptian army as an alternative to paying the mandatory sum that all young Jews had to pay. It takes just a few seconds. According to Scheffeldt, Cohen and al-Gamal were arrested together in 1954 and released shortly after. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. His training was extensive and exhaustive. In January 1965, Syrian government officials announced that Eli is an Israeli spy. "It works with a range of international intelligence agencies,'' the NZSIS said in response. On the day of his execution, his last wish to see a rabbi was respected by the prison authorities, and Nissim Indibo, the elderly Chief Rabbi of Syria, accompanied him in the truck. 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 1963, during a business trip to Germany, he met Weltrude Scheffeldt, a divorcee, then 22 and with a small child, and married her. Fiyaz Mughal,Eli Cohens body must be returned to Israel, The JC, (Undated). 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 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? In 1954, Egyptian authorities arrested Eli for being a terror suspect. Cohen wasnt allowed tell anyone of the plans and told his wife that he was working abroad for Israels Defense Ministry. Nadia and 'Mossad' were on bad terms until Meir Dagan was made the agencys chief. He was hanged on May 18, 1965. Nadia (born Nadia Majald) is an Iraqi Jew who got married to Eli on August 31, 1959. 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. Melita Norwood | longest-serving British spy | Melita Norwood Book, Death, Family, Daughter | melita norwood images. In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. 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. 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. Text messages sent from an NZSIS agent called "Carl" appear to show him brokering a deal. [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. In 2019, Netflix created the seriesThe SpystarringSacha Baron Cohen to tell his story. their chief noticed that their decision taken by the government was broadcast to Israel. 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. Using Biton, Israel "fed" Egypt with false intelligence that reportedly contributed to the Six Day War victory. 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. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. 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. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. World leaders, wealthy individuals, the Israeli government, the pope, and others all intervened on his behalf. Eli did go back to Syria, but his behavior changed. He reminded me of my father sometimes, she added. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. Eli Cohen was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents, who had migrated to Alexandria 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. Elis connections enabled him to be taken to the Golan Heights a major strategic asset for Syria from 1948-67. Abdel Latif Hassan immediately wrote four letters one to his brother-in-law, two to friends in Beirut, and fourth to his son in Damascus. 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 . From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. 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. become close friends. Nadia believed it and went to see him off at the airport in 1961. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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]. The Ba'athist coup and Eli Cohen's role. 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. [13][14] In Buenos Aires he moved among the Arab community, letting it be known he had large amounts of money to put at the disposal of the Syrian Ba'ath Party. Unfortunately, Nadia and her family are still waiting to get Elis body and have not made peace with it. In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. The Golan is not only important for its military significance. [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). Elis larger-than-life persona has attracted many filmmakers, who have then used his story for their projects. For his loyalties, Hafiz grooms Thaabet to be deputy defense minister in his government. The Spy is streaming globally on Netflix. He was a legend," I declare. In 1949, his parents and three brothers moved to Israel while Eli remained in Egypt to coordinate Jewish and Zionist activities there. While there, he gained the trust of Amin al-Hafez, who would later become Syrias president. Over the years, her relationship with the Mossad and that of her children, Sophie Ben-Dor, Irit Peleg and Shai Cohen, unraveled. It is for these reasons Eli Cohen is known as Israels greatest spy. As Intelligence Chief Meir Amit said, Eli succeeded far beyond the capabilities of most other men.. He was driven to the airport, where his wife Nadia saw him off. 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. His captors later remarked on his noble bearing and his courage despite the horrific Syrian interrogation methods. 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. (Haim Zach/GPO). He continued his social life, spending a lot of time in cafes listening to political gossip. At first, he refused. In 1963, new Ramdas replaced Meir Amit for a few months in charge of both a man and Mossad. 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. 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. He had been repeatedly interrogated and tortured. In addition, the commander of Syrian Intelligence, Colonel Ahmed Suedani trusted no one and disliked Eli. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to capture it. By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Cohen had aided the unit and was implicated, but they found no link between him and the perpetrators. In February 2007, the Turkish government offered to act as a mediator for their return. They further said that the use of the term "partner" is generic and is applied to all those agencies with which we have contact. "We have six grandchildren," she says with pride as she points to a family photo on the wall. That is, until Meir Dagan took over as chief. 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. Recruitment into the Mossad. 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. click the link in that email to complete your registration. Given their history of a paper trail, its fitting but heartbreaking to learn that their final exchange also took place over written correspondence. 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 says the spies wanted him to try and talk to his father's close friends or provide insight. also learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. Eli himself was not above the spicier part of a spys life either. 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). She understood from him that he would be working for the Ministry of Defense, but she didnt know where or in what capacity. According to an unconfirmed but widely believed story, he feigned sympathy for the soldiers exposed to the sun and had trees planted at every position, placed to provide shade. Sacha Baron Cohen in 'The Spy' as Eli Cohen. At the age of 41, Cohen was hanged in Damascus in front of a crowd of 10,000. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. (PMO), Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli spy Eli Cohen in The Spy (YouTube screenshot), Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965. . Scheffeldt said that her husband never revealed his true identity, and she learned of it only after a television series aired in Egypt that described him as a national hero. Altogether, he returned to Israel three times between 1962 and 1965. Nevertheless, Kamal Amin Taabet (Eli Cohen) succeeded in visiting every position. 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. It doesnt fit our story but I understand the situation. [8] His most famous achievement was the tour of the Golan Heights in which he collected intelligence on the Syrian fortifications there. In the 1970s, they left Israel for Germany and in 1982, al-Gamal, alias Jacques Biton, died of an illness. Last year, Israel was able to retrieve Cohens wristwatch from Syria and return it to his family. In his late teens, Cohen became an ardent Zionist and at the same time, as . You're not alone. Cohen was born in 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt to a devout Mizrahi Jewish and Zionist family. While undercover in Argentina in The Spy, Cohen struggles to resist drafting her notes, even if it puts him in danger. The Syrian officer readily agreed and Eli immediately passed the information onto Israel. Cohen was publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square in Damascus on 18 May 1965. 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. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. Eli started transmitting his message to Israel daily at 8 a.m. After six months kamal Amin tabet become well known. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. 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. Israel has had a quiet northern border on the Golan with the exception of some occasional fallout from the Syrian civil war for more than 40years. He genuinely fit into life in the Syrian capital, and he was never suspected of being a spy until almost the very end. I am begging you my dear Nadia not to spend your time in weeping about some thing already passed. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. This week, KAN 11 began broadcasting a documentary series "Lochem 566," (Fighter 566, Cohen's Mossad codename). He worked as an accountant and translator. 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. According to Maurice Cohen, this really happened. At these parties, Cohen "dispensed free-flowing liquor and prostitutes",[1] and highly placed officials would openly discuss their work and army plans. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. The president was ousted from power a year later in 1966. 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.". In an interview with Newshub, Al-Hafidh now says he is willing to reveal the information without the financial reward, as long as the Cohen's relatives finally have their peace. 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. He also requested her to remarry so that their children would have a father and she would have a partner. Syria has not even disclosed the location of Eli's grave. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. The information he had been providing them for years was too good to forego. One of the more famous aspects of his spying regarded a trip he took to the Golan Heights. 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. It, however, did not change the situation. This material may not be republished without the permission of the copyright owner. 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. He had seventeen lovers in Syria, all dazzling beauties with a fair degree of family power. Eli hoped as did Israeli Intelligence that these women would help him escape in time of crisis.. 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. 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. The news spread everywhere that the Syrian leader is a spy, a president friend, a millionaire. On May 18, 1965, Eli was publicly hanged at the Marjeh Square in Damascus, Syria. The goal was to gather intelligence from high-ranking Syrian politicians and military officials. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. 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. 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. Learn more. Prior to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. Israeli spy who was captured and executed in Syria, that enabled them to destroy the equipment prepared for the task, "Israel's Secret Operation to Recover the Watch of a Legendary Spy", "Rumors fly that body of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen was found", "Eli Cohen, notre agent "top secret" Damas", "Mossad's master of deception: the astounding true story of Israeli super-spy Eli Cohen", Widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen: Netflix drama 'raises my blood pressure', "Unending agony for legendary spy Eli Cohen and his widow", "Israel's secret war against Hitler's scientists", "The History of Elie Cohen: An Egyptian Jew who became Israel's greatest spy", "Will Israel's superspy finally rest in peace? They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. 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. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen heads to Germany Tuesday as part of Israel's campaign to halt Iran's . For 19 years, Jewish settlements in the north were under constant threat of Syrian guns. As we saw, the Syrians continually harassed Israels northern settlements from 1948-67. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Again, I. He even trained at the same facility that had served as home to his doomed Susannah compatriots in 1953. He returned to Egypt in 1956 but was suspected immediately and was placed under surveillance. He was quickly able to infiltrate the highest levels of Syrian society. 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. I beg my wife to forgive me, to take care of herself and our children. Despite this, however, Israeli intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. 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. 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 then underwent a show trial, like the Operation Susannah spies had in Egypt 12 years before., Like them, his verdict was predetermined. It also provides 30% of Israels water sources. [29] Mossad director Yossi Cohen presented it to Cohen's family in a ceremony, and it is currently on display at Mossad headquarters. Syria tortures him but he was still lying, his face was covered with wounds, his nail was pulled out. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. He arrived in Israel on February 8, 1957. The Israeli government and Cohens widow have for many years sought the return of Elis body. They warned me not to discuss the issue with Eli anymore and to share his secret with no one.". Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. How is it that you dare allow a stranger to read a classified document? he angrily asked Saif. The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the. There is always the risk that the agent remains loyal to his original handlers and has managed to fool his new bosses. Meanwhile, every few days he transmitted important information to his Israeli handlers via a radio transmitter he had hidden in his room. To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Buenos Aires in 1961. 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. The message was passed on to the Syrians, who arrested Cohen. She had no idea about Elis secret mission and thus did not see the threats and risks involved. But an interview published in the Cairo Times yesterday with the German-born Weltrude Scheffeldt-Biton suggests that Egyptian intelligence played the most important role in unmasking Cohen. Nadia Majald, and together they had three children. We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. [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. Were they not interested? 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. He has reached the apex of success, and it seems that there is no door he can't open. Instead, he joined the Egyptian merchant marine and was involved in a number of scams, which resulted in his arrest by the Egyptian secret service in 1952. Israel has for decades worked to retrieve his remains. Cohen's astonishing undercover career lasted for four years. He then moved to Damascus in February 1962, under his new identity, Kamel Amin Thaabet, to extract classified information from Syrian military officers. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. Their youngest child, Shai, was only 21 days old then. 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.. One of them was Colonel Amin al-Hafaz, a supporter of the secular-leftist Baath party. He died in 2009. At the end of 1961, Syria dissolved its union with Egypt, which had lasted a mere three years. Syria brought hydraulic engineers and diversion equipment to actualize the scheme. ", "Former Assad aide: Eli Cohen's burial site unknown],mm", "New footage emerges of Eli Cohen on the gallows", "Mossad Brings Home Watch of Israeli Spy Executed in Syria; Netanyahu Hails 'Brave' Op", "Watch of famed Israeli spy Eli Cohen recovered by Mossad", "The saga of Eli Cohen, Israel's greatest spy", "Will Assad's Ouster Free Body of Israel Spy?