Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. Nadia, however, never remarried. [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. After a few months, Eli was visited by George Salem Seif, a radio show host in charge of radio Damascus broadcast for Syrian abord. 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. (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 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. 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. 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. It, however, did not change the situation. "I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has past," his final letter read. "The Spy" depicts Egyptian-born Cohen - played by Sacha Baron Cohen - as an ambitious, Arabic-speaking immigrant to Israel who is recruited by Mossad and, overcoming his fears and the strains on his family, infiltrates the Damascus high command by posing as a rich scion of the Syrian diaspora. In February 1962, Cohen moved to Damascus. Cohen accepted the calling. Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, Defense Minister Ezer Weizmann, and many Mossad officials attended Eli's son's bar mitzvah in 1977. 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. Cohen's astonishing undercover career lasted for four years. In 'The Spy,' Sacha Baron Cohen Gets Serious : NPR It also provides 30% of Israels water sources. Why Mossad's Retrieval of Eli Cohen's Watch Matters - SOFREP The Baath party was rising to power and Eli Cohen wanted to be there when it took power. you lived with your uncle and worked as a travel agency, later were very successful. [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. he soon became a well-known figure in the Arab circle. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. Eli's handlers were continually persuading him to return. 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 True Story Behind The Spy on Netflix | Time Still Ben-Dor, who was four years old when her father was killed, said she was pleasantly surprised by actor Cohens portrayal. He made friends with many of the guests and ended up receiving classified military briefings and visiting Syrian military sites. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen heads to Germany Tuesday as part of Israel's campaign to halt Iran's . The three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. 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. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. "It was all for good intentions. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924, the second of eight children in a family of orthodox Jews. 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. I want him, here and now, because I've reached the age that I deserve tranquillity. Recruitment into the Mossad. I want him (Yossi Cohen) to clarify what hapepned," said the 84-year-old. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. "I am the son of the only person on this planet who knows where the remains are buried," he told Newshub in an interview. He would also lend money to government officials, and many came to him for advice. World leaders, wealthy individuals, the Israeli government, the pope, and others all intervened on his behalf. Cohen wasnt allowed tell anyone of the plans and told his wife that he was working abroad for Israels Defense Ministry. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. The news spread everywhere that the Syrian leader is a spy, a president friend, a millionaire. "Sophie's. Cohen expressed fear of discovery to the Mossad on his last secret visit to Israel in November 1964, and he stated that he wished to terminate his assignment in Syria. He had three brothers. I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever. He was stunned by the precision of the Israeli bombing during the 1964 attack. The transmissions became longer as well. "This cooperation brings significant benefits to New Zealand's national security, we help them (Mossad), and they help us," they added. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Eli Cohen - Wikipedia 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. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. ", "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. I am begging you my dear Nadia not to spend your time in weeping about some thing already passed. He worked as an accountant and translator. Israeli intelligence was particularly excited about Cohen . Ahead of the mission, Cohen had to learn to speak Arabic in a Syrian accent rather than his native Egyptian. 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. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. 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. 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 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future! [22], It is claimed that the intelligence that Cohen gathered before his arrest was an important factor in Israel's success in the Six-Day War,[23] although some intelligence experts have argued that the information he provided about the Golan Heights fortifications was also readily available from ground and aerial reconnaissance. A number were only released 14 years later, after the 1967 War. 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. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. 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. 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. [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. Elis connections enabled him to be taken to the Golan Heights a major strategic asset for Syria from 1948-67. Irit does not know her father. We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. Prior to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Buenos Aires in 1961. One of the ministrys directors entered the room unannounced. 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. But what happened next apparently deviates from the way it appears in the show. [9] The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence,[25] but the Syrians refused. Still, Israeli Intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. In 1967, the Israelis were able to conquer the Golan Heights in two days in part due to the intelligence he provided. 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. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. One of his friends found a new job as an accountant, month later he Marty with Nadia, a nurse of Iraqi origin. 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. In 2016, Nadia told 'Israel Radio' that former 'Mossad' chief Meir Dagan had asked the US officials to help bring Elis remains. [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. 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. he supplies Eli with inside information about the political and military situation. By Lianne Back. [34], The Israeli settlement Eliad on the Golan Heights is named for him.[35]. Maurice isn't sure what this means. After Hafez became Prime Minister, Eli was even considered to be named the Syrian Deputy Minister of Defense. Nadia Cohen: The Untold Story of the wife of Eli Cohen The daughter of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen said Sunday it hurt to watch the new Netflix series about her fathers life and execution in Syria, lamenting some historical inaccuracies in the adaptation but praising Sacha Baron Cohens performance. I give you my blessing. 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. He worked as an accountant. Employment was not always steady, and he soon had to rely more on Nadia to help support their marriage, which would quickly lead to children. These skills were instrumental in ensuring the safety and survival of one Kamal Amin Taabet: Eli Cohens new identity. They had three children, Sophie, Irit, and Shai. Nadia wishes to be buried beside Elis grave. Syria has not even disclosed the location of Eli's grave. He had an input into and an impact on Syrian national defense and was privy to almost all their secrets. With time he was taken even more into the confidence of the highest echelons of power. also learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. He genuinely fit into life in the Syrian capital, and he was never suspected of being a spy until almost the very end. At the age of 41, Cohen was hanged in Damascus in front of a crowd of 10,000. 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. Ben-Dor was pessimistic that Israel would soon be able to retrieve her fathers body from Syria. He was tortured, but he wouldnt give away any incriminating information about 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. Did you spend your weekend binge-watching Netflix's taut thriller, The Spy? Over the years, Nadia has made several efforts to seek a bit of mercy from Syrian officials. Al-Hafidh wanted a million dollars for his services, texting: "1M for the minimum for kick start. At this time the Ba'ath Party was illegal in Syria but the party seized power in 1963. Show creator Gideon Raff's limited series has brought renewed attention to the life and work of Eli Cohen. Nadia was told that Eli was working for the ministry of defense and would be completely safe. He was sent to Argentina, where he took on the guise of a businessman, scion of a Syrian family. The spy who never came home - The Jewish Chronicle 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?