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. He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. Unending Agony for Legendary Spy Eli Cohen and His Widow (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. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eli-cohen-16869.php. His first assignment was to infiltrate the Jewish community of Alexandria. World leaders, wealthy individuals, the Israeli government, the pope, and others all intervened on his behalf. 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. He also requested her to remarry so that their children would have a father and she would have a partner. "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. While there are reports that Cohen hosted parties that would devolve into orgies at his apartment, in order to gain the trust of high-level people in power, there's no concrete evidence that he played a role in the March 1963 coup. He was interrogated and tortured. Please try again or choose an option below. Show creator Gideon Raff's limited series has brought renewed attention to the life and work of Eli Cohen. The Spy is streaming globally on Netflix. [12][16], In 2016, a Syrian group calling itself "Syrian art treasures" posted a video on Facebook showing Cohen's body after his execution. 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. Eli Cohen Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements 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]. Eli was, however, persuaded continuously by Israeli intelligence agencies to return to Syria. Irit does not know her father. Incorrect password. Eli Cohen (politician born 1972) - Wikipedia In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. His wife, Nadia, would be left a widow with three very young children. They further said that the use of the term "partner" is generic and is applied to all those agencies with which we have contact. Nadia, understandably, has remained fixated on her loss. "- From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. "There was great excitement because it is essentially the only item of dad that came back, we have nothing. 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. The saga of Eli Cohen, Israel's greatest spy - San Diego Jewish World The Syrians and their Russian advisers were alarmed by the intelligence that was seeping out of the country. Eli studied at a local Jewish community school and then attended the 'University of Alexandria' to study electrical engineering. He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. But what happened next apparently deviates from the way it appears in the show. "It was all for good intentions. "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. But within a month he had lost his Tel Aviv-based accountancy job. However, running a double agent is considered to be one of the most complex missions in intelligence work. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. They successfully detected radio transmissions and were able to triangulate the transmitter. He had been repeatedly interrogated and tortured. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Cohen publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square, The Pedagogic Center, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Elis friendship with Amin al-Hafez proved very valuable. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924, the second of eight children in a family of orthodox Jews. Cohen wasnt allowed tell anyone of the plans and told his wife that he was working abroad for Israels Defense Ministry. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. Israel could be the target of an aggressive attack by a larger, better Egyptian army that wanted to avenge its shameful defect in the Israel Independence War. Eli did go back to Syria, but his behavior changed. You're not alone. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. Elis larger-than-life persona has attracted many filmmakers, who have then used his story for their projects. Following Israel's independence in 1949, when Jewish families were leaving Egypt, Eli stayed back to finish his electronics degree. 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 made friends who moved in highly influential Syrian circles, transmitting his findings back to Israel via radio. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. "I have passed your response to our partners and am waiting for a reply," said the agent. 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. 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. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? I send you my last kisses to you and to the children: Sophie, Irit, and Shaoul, and to the rest of my family, especially my mother. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. Israels defense planners urgently needed reliable intelligence on the scope of the water diversion project engineering plans, diagrams, maps, and other data and up-to-the-minute assessments of Soviet influence in the Syrian capital, as well as detailed information on plans for the modernization, equipping, and retraining of Syrian forces. Eli Cohen was the man for the job. In January 1965, Syrian government officials announced that Eli is an Israeli spy. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. Israel has for decades worked to retrieve his remains. And much of the credit for Israels ability to capture the Golan was due to Eli Cohen, Israels greatest spy. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The following year, Syria found out about Cohen by tracing his intelligence transmissions to Israel. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. Syria has not even disclosed the location of Eli's grave. He soon became accepted, well-liked, and respected, and made contacts with politicians, diplomats and military officials working out of the Syrian Embassy. Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Spy. 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. 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. 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. Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen (Hebrew: , Arabic: ; 6 December 1924 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. 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. The Spy, which was released Friday, tells the story of Cohen, who spied for Israel in Syria during the 1960s, providing valuable intelligence that was said to have greatly assisted the Israeli military in the 1967 Six Day War. In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. Another tutor trained him to speak Arabic. Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. Eli Cohen - Jewish Virtual Library The Spy is an aesthetically flawed portrait of Eli Cohen Still, Israeli Intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. [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. Intelligence created a completely new identity for him. (PMO), Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli spy Eli Cohen in The Spy (YouTube screenshot), Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Offended, he resigned from military counterintelligence and took up a clerical job in a Tel Aviv insurance office. 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. [4], Cohen provided an extensive amount and wide range of intelligence data for the Israeli Army between 1961 and 1965. Cohen had aided the unit and was implicated, but they found no link between him and the perpetrators. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. 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. She also said she understood and respected the show. [18], Cohen made repeated visits to the southern frontier zone, providing photographs and sketches of Syrian positions. Eli was arrested but soon released due to a lack of evidence. In the interview, she said that her husband left behind memoirs, notes and other evidence. Nadia Cohen, widow of executed Israeli spy Eli Cohen, speaks to Channel 2 on September 20, 2016 after Syrian opposition forces release new video showing moments after he was hanged in. 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. Eli Cohen, Israels most famous spy, also happened to be a hopeless romantic. 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. "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. As Intelligence Chief Meir Amit said, Eli succeeded far beyond the capabilities of most other men.. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. At these parties, Cohen "dispensed free-flowing liquor and prostitutes",[1] and highly placed officials would openly discuss their work and army plans. It, however, did not change the situation. On September 20, 2016, an unknown Syrian group named 'Syrian Art Treasures' posted a 'Facebook' video showing Eli's body after his execution. In 1960, Cohen was approached by the Mossad for a mission in Syria. when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. "I want to ask wasn't Eli worth the price? Eli Cohen's son, Shaul, was only 2 weeks old when he last saw his father. In November that year, Nadia, wrote to Syrian politician and former president of Syria (19712000) Hafez al-Assad, asking him to forgive Eli and requesting him to hand over her husbands remains. In Episode 5, Maurice puts the clues together when he covers for the regular analyst that communicates with Cohen using Morse code. The Spy's Widow // After many decades, Nadia Cohen is keeping the After Hafez became Prime Minister, Eli was even considered to be named the Syrian Deputy Minister of Defense. Eventually, they had three children: Sophie Ben-Dor, Irit Peleg, and Shai Cohen. His final visit was in 1964. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel, 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, Sophie Ben-Dor (Screen capture: Channel 12 News), This undated photo shows Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Syria wearing a wristwatch recovered by the Mossad in 2018. However, Eli's loyalty was scrutinized, and he faced harassment by the 'Muslim Brotherhood.' He arrived in Israel on February 8, 1957. In January 1965, Syrian security officers broke into Elis apartment while he was in the middle of his escape to Israel. 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. It takes just a few seconds. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. He wrote a last letter to his wife before he mounted the scaffold to a seething crowd. How is it that you dare allow a stranger to read a classified document? he angrily asked Saif. he supplies Eli with inside information about the political and military situation. Melita Norwood | longest-serving British spy | Melita Norwood Book, Death, Family, Daughter | melita norwood images. In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. Cohen heads to Germany to discuss Iran uranium enrichment, IRGC What Netflix's 'The Spy' Gets Wrong About Eli Cohen He set up a travel agency in Tel Aviv and developed ties with the upper echelons of Israeli society, including politicians. The text messages between Khalid and the NZSIS. In addition, the commander of Syrian Intelligence, Colonel Ahmed Suedani trusted no one and disliked Eli. Qudsi was ousted from power as a result of the March 8 coup, but Hafiz did not take power until months later. He then moved to Damascus in February 1962, under his new identity, Kamel Amin Thaabet, to extract classified information from Syrian military officers. 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. Syrian security services led by Suidani broke into Cohen's apartment on 24 January and caught him in the middle of a transmission to Israel. At the end of 1961, Syria dissolved its union with Egypt, which had lasted a mere three years. Eli found out about Syria's secret plan to attack the Israeli defense forces. Eli Cohen (pictured, at center) was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents who had immigrated to Alexandria from Aleppo, Syria. Its waters flow into the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret) and south to the Dead Sea. 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. One day in 1960 Israeli Intelligence approached him about working for them again. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Hes a trusted friend.. Why Mossad's Retrieval of Eli Cohen's Watch Matters - SOFREP He worked as an accountant. Last year, Israel was able to retrieve Cohens wristwatch from Syria and return it to his family. Today, one can see the former Syrian bunkers that remain on the Golan Heights from 1967 (as well as the tanks from 1973). https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nadia-cohen-46980.php. 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? Cohen later. [9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. It doesnt fit our story but I understand the situation. He carefully cultivated contacts with the Baath leadership, which included the Syrian military attach in Argentina, General Amin al-Hafaz. Al-Hafidh then sent his bank details, but the deal went cold. 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. Despite being away from home for months at a time, he fathered three children, Sophie, Irit and Shai. Cohen would pretend to be drunk to encourage such conversations, to which he paid close attention. According to Scheffeldt, Cohen and al-Gamal were arrested together in 1954 and released shortly after. But it . Cohen would then send intelligence back to Israel using a hidden radio transmitter. your father and uncle opened a textile store, but it went bankrupt your father died in 1956 and six months later your mother died too. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. 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. He reminded me of my father sometimes, she added. also learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. Al-Gamal rushed to inform his superiors that Thabet was none other than Eli Cohen, the Alexandrian Jew. 'Disturbing' footage emerges from famed Israeli spy's execution in [8] His most famous achievement was the tour of the Golan Heights in which he collected intelligence on the Syrian fortifications there. 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. 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. Using Biton, Israel "fed" Egypt with false intelligence that reportedly contributed to the Six Day War victory. 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. While there, he gained the trust of Amin al-Hafez, who would later become Syrias president. But his knowledge of. Israeli spy's widow 'hurt' by Netflix biopic, but welcomes publicity He was convicted in a trial without a defense and sentenced to death. Eli expressed his fear and wish to terminate his assignment in Syria during his last visit to Israel in November 1964. 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. In real life, the closeness between Hafiz and Cohen has been disputed by the former president of Syria, who claimed in a 2001 interview with Al Jazeera that they couldn't have met in Buenos Aires because Hafiz was in Moscow until 1962, by which time Cohen had gone undercover as Thaabet in Damascus. Cohen's training was long and exhausting. In 1949, his parents and three brothers moved to Israel while Eli remained in Egypt to coordinate Jewish and Zionist activities there. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. Thus, he wished to terminate his assignment in Syria. later he handed with Syrian passport in name of kamal Amin tabet, he advised to open a bank account in that name and start visiting Arab restaurants, the cinema where Arab movies are shown, and political club. By 1960, however, Israeli Intelligence was ready to take another look at Eli Cohen. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. 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. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. The newly appointed Syrian intelligence colonel, Ahmed Su'edani, disliked Eli. 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. [4] His father had moved there from Aleppo in 1914. It hurt. In 1963, during a business trip to Germany, he met Weltrude Scheffeldt, a divorcee, then 22 and with a small child, and married her. Haaretz.com, the online English edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, gives you breaking news, analyses and opinions about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. "Sophie's. In 1954, Egyptian authorities arrested Eli for being a terror suspect. 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. 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. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935, [10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence. As the Syrian Army officer explained to Eli the fortifications the Syrian Army had built, Eli suggested that the Syrians plant trees there to deceive the Israelis into thinking it was unfortified, as well as to provide shade and beauty for the soldiers stationed there. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story - Refinery29 [15], Cohen moved to Damascus in February 1962 under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet (Arabic: ). [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. Ahead of the mission, Cohen had to learn to speak Arabic in a Syrian accent rather than his native Egyptian. 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. I think as long as Bashar Assad is in power I dont see the word progress,' she said, referring to Syrias dictator. . The purposes of that visit were to pass on intelligence and to enable him to witness the birth of his third child. 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. [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. He was stunned by the precision of the Israeli bombing during the 1964 attack. Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen) was the kind of guy to leave his wife spontaneous love letters throughout the house. "We have six grandchildren," she says with pride as she points to a family photo on the wall. 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 Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power.
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