eli cohen children

[19] He also learned of a secret plan to create three successive lines of bunkers and mortars; the Israel Defense Forces would otherwise have expected to encounter only a single line. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. Another tutor trained him to speak Arabic. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. 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. Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen (Hebrew: , Arabic: ; 6 December 1924 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. they let him see fortification and the bunkers, weapon concentrated in the area, and their offensive plans.l lieutenant. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future!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 motherPlease pray for my soul. "It was all for good intentions. The Spy alternates between Cohens risky schemes with Nadias far more ordinary life. 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. one evening he met one gentleman, Abdel Latif Hassan, editor in chief of Arab world magazine publish in Argentina. Eli Cohen was the man for the job. He would also lend money to government officials, and many came to him for advice. "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. In January 1965, Syrian security services broke into Eli's apartment, where he was caught while he was escaping to Israel. We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. [12], He was then given a false identity as a Syrian businessman who was returning to the country after living in Argentina. Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence. ", "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? She was told he would be completely safe, and she believed that until his capture in 1965. He had been repeatedly interrogated and tortured. 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). Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. Various reports say that Biton was unveiled and offered the option of becoming a double agent. 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. [4], Cohen provided an extensive amount and wide range of intelligence data for the Israeli Army between 1961 and 1965. Eli Cohen, Israels most famous spy, also happened to be a hopeless romantic. But his knowledge of. Revealed: The Plan to Expand the Israeli Knesset by More Than Double, Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Eli had to conceal the microfilm inexpensive boxes containing backgammon pieces .the music ornament could be dug out of the polished wood and reinserted after microfilm had been placed in the cavity. "I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has past," his final letter read. Over the years, Nadia has made several efforts to seek a bit of mercy from Syrian officials. He would entertain high-ranking politicians and military officials at extravagant parties where there would be many women and lots of booze. Thats when he met Nadia Majald, an Iraqi-born Jewish woman who lived near his brother and his wife. In a display of generosity, the tabet contributed some money to build a public kitchen for the poor of Damascus. Nadia believed it and went to see him off at the airport in 1961. In 1962 Eli cohen was in Damascus with crowded mosques and colorful souks, he rented a luxurious villa in the classy Abu Ramen neighborhood, close to the Syrian embassy. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. At first, he refused. Cohen was convicted of espionage. 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. At the end of 1961, Syria dissolved its union with Egypt, which had lasted a mere three years. After weeks of surveillance, he was finalized and was put to training. In the 1960s, Israel developed a national water carrier which diverted water from the Kinneret into a pipeline that irrigated much of the country and especially Israels arid south. 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. I want him, here and now, because I've reached the age that I deserve tranquillity. [5] He studied at Cairo Farouk University. Last year, Israel was able to retrieve Cohens wristwatch from Syria and return it to his family. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. I hope, pray, that he will be returned home by the time I die," Nadia told Haaretz in 2010. "I am the son of the only person on this planet who knows where the remains are buried," he told Newshub in an interview. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Eli had lost his friends, in 1957 he immigrates to Israel. 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. On July 5, 2018, media channels announced that Elis wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria, which was later given back to Eli's family by 'Mossad' in a ceremony. He has reached the apex of success, and it seems that there is no door he can't open. 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. He was stunned by the precision of the Israeli bombing during the 1964 attack. The previous year, which marked Elis 50th death anniversary, Nadia had addressed a memorial dedicated to him. The president was ousted from power a year later in 1966. "Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future!". Nadia still holds a grudge against the 'Mossad' handlers who had sent Eli to Syria, an action that had taken him away from her, forever. 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. He was supposed to stay in Buenos Aires as a Syrian migr businessman named Kamal Amin Taabet. 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? [9], Cohen continued his social life as he had in Argentina, spending time in cafes listening to political gossip. To no avail. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. Warning: This article contains spoilers for all six episodes of The Spy. By Lianne Back. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen heads to Germany Tuesday as part of Israel's campaign to halt Iran's . Irit does not know her father. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. The complete trust Cohen enjoyed among his unwitting informants is illustrated by the following incident, which might have serious consequences for the Israeli agents. [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. Cohen was born in 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt to a devout Mizrahi Jewish and Zionist family. Eventually, they had three children: Sophie Ben-Dor, Irit Peleg, and Shai Cohen. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. But what happened next apparently deviates from the way it appears in the show. One day Cohen was sitting in Saifs office reading a classified document while the Syrian was on the phone. [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. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. Still Ben-Dor, who was four years old when her father was killed, said she was pleasantly surprised by actor Cohens portrayal. But within a month he had lost his Tel Aviv-based accountancy job. 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. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. Nadia, however, never remarried. [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. 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. One of his friends found a new job as an accountant, month later he Marty with Nadia, a nurse of Iraqi origin. His parents, Syrian Jews from the thriving town of Aleppo, had always instilled in their educationally minded son the traditions of the Jewish people, of Zionism, and of the culture of Syrias Jewish community, in particular.. It was after Atassi resigned on July 27 that Hafiz was named president. She understood from him that he would be working for the Ministry of Defense, but she didnt know where or in what capacity. In 1960, the national intelligence agency of Israel, 'Mossad,' approached Eli for a classified mission in Syria. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. His new friends introduced Eli to top government officials, senior army officers, and leaders of the ruling party. At Kfar Habad, on July 29, 1977, at the joint Bar Mitzvah for 100 fatherless boys, in the presence of Prime Minister. One of the ministrys directors entered the room unannounced. "The moment that they informed me [of the watch's recovery] my mouth went dry and I got the chills," Nadia told Israeli TV. 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. I want him (Yossi Cohen) to clarify what hapepned," said the 84-year-old. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eli-cohen-16869.php. During their exchange, Cohen signs off by asking, "Did N get the Singer?" To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Buenos Aires in 1961. In November 1964, Tel Dan Syria open fire on Israel tractors in the demilitarized zone. Cohen was publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square in Damascus on 18 May 1965. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. In the name of the Syrian Arab people, The Military court has decided in its meeting which was held on Muharram 7th, 1385 - May 8th, 1965 to sentence Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen, a resident of Tel Aviv in Occupied Palestine, to death for committing the following crimes: The crime of disguised entry into a military location. 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. Its unfamiliar to me, this form of expression in a global television series. 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. 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. In November 1965, Eli's wife wrote to Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, requesting him to send Elis remains back to Israel. Al-Hafidh then sent his bank details, but the deal went cold. He was taught high-speed evasive driving techniques, Weapons proficiency (especially with a wide variety of small arms), topography, map reading, sabotage, and, most importantly, radio transmissions and cryptography. One of the more famous aspects of his spying regarded a trip he took to the Golan Heights. 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. He became a confidante of George Saif, high up in the Ministry of Information. Do what you must, don't deprive the children of a father. The Ba'athist coup and Eli Cohen's role. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. 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. had succeeded in friending a Saudi entrepreneur who had been contracted to plan and dig canals, the name was his friend was bin Laden, little Osama's father. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. At the same time, Israeli officials devised escape schemes and appealed to international organizations. In the show, Cohenas Thaabetbefriends Hafiz in Buenos Aires and later in Damascus helps Hafiz's Ba'ath party seize power. In 1963, new Ramdas replaced Meir Amit for a few months in charge of both a man and Mossad. Sign in to stop seeing this, Sara Netanyahu accosted by protesters at Tel Aviv hair salon, extricated by police, Brides joy turns to sorrow after Elan Ganeles killed driving to her wedding, Hiker discovers 2,500-year-old ancient receipt from reign of Purim kings father, Netanyahu compares Tel Aviv protesters to settlers who set fire to Huwara. Eli was, however, taken in by 'Mossad' when Director-General Meir Amit was in search of a special agent to infiltrate the Syrian government. Cohen wasnt allowed tell anyone of the plans and told his wife that he was working abroad for Israels Defense Ministry. Eli expressed his fear and wish to terminate his assignment in Syria during his last visit to Israel in November 1964. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. Melita Norwood | longest-serving British spy | Melita Norwood Book, Death, Family, Daughter | melita norwood images. Maurice isn't sure what this means. Also in Episode 5, viewers see Hafiz assume power after demanding the resignation of Syria's then-president, Nazim al-Qudsi. 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. One of the most difficult tasks for Eli Cohen was to learn the intricate and unmistakable phonetic tune of Syrian Arabic; prior to his intelligence training, his Egyptian accent was undeniable. His trainer was an Iraqi-born Jew who had extensive experience training operatives in speaking Arabic and the traditions and Muslim customs. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. He was sentenced to death. 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. Eli Cohen, at 29, offered his services to the Israeli Intelligence Services but was rebuked twice. (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. These skills were instrumental in ensuring the safety and survival of one Kamal Amin Taabet: Eli Cohens new identity. That is, until Meir Dagan took over as chief. It, however, did not change the situation. Recalling Elis final days, Nadia states he was in Bat Yam, with her and the three babies. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. Speaking to Cohen's brother, and to Israeli and Syrian intelligence experts, Sputnik has pieced together a new look at the superspy's incredible life story. By 1960, however, Israeli Intelligence was ready to take another look at Eli Cohen. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion, Antoni Porowski Talks New Cookbook, Recipes and Tradition in Cooking, Netflix's 'The Spy': Eli Cohen's Remains Still a Mystery, How to Watch True Crime Series 'Unbelievable' on Netflix. The execution was broadcast on Syrian television. 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. 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. In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. In 1961, Eli was sent to Buenos Aires in the guise of a Syrian textile businessman. He is being executed according to the two articles 158 and 159 of the military penal code, and articles 271, 272, and 274 of the general penal code. Nadia was told that Eli was working for the ministry of defense and would be completely safe. They further said that the use of the term "partner" is generic and is applied to all those agencies with which we have contact. But he refused). Altogether, he returned to Israel three times between 1962 and 1965. click the link in that email to complete your registration. Daniel Sonnenfeld,55 years after execution in Syria, Israeli spy Eli Cohen makes headlines,Jerusalem Post, February 27, 2021). The three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. A year later, in 1965, Cohen was caught transmitting over the radio back to Tel Aviv. This is adefinitive andfinal verdict. [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. He was sent to Argentina, where he took on the guise of a businessman, scion of a Syrian family. The location of Cohen's body remains unknown. I give you my blessing. Intelligence officers who investigated the issue offered two possibilities: The first is that it was Egyptian intelligence that identified Cohen and gave him up to the Syrians; the second, which is considered more probable, is that the demand for information was so great that frequent communications via radio to Mossad headquarters exposed Cohen to Syrian counterintelligence. [9] The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence,[25] but the Syrians refused. 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. In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935, [10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. Given their history of a paper trail, its fitting but heartbreaking to learn that their final exchange also took place over written correspondence. he transfers all operations to Mossad, Eli was now Mossad agent. He also requested her to remarry so that their children would have a father and she would have a partner. A month later, a Syrian officer would say that one of Israel's attack architects had been Eli Cohen, who was in Israel during the battle. Using Biton, Israel "fed" Egypt with false intelligence that reportedly contributed to the Six Day War victory. Periodically Eli would return to Israel to speak with his Israeli handlers and visit his wife and small children. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. After three months, Eli spoke passable Spanish, knew Buenos Aires well, dressed, and behaved like thousands of Arab immigrants living in Buenos Aires. Cohen established his contact quickly, his letter of recommendation opened the gates to high society. 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 . For the next two years, he worked as a filing clerk in a Tel Aviv insurance office. Elis connections enabled him to be taken to the Golan Heights a major strategic asset for Syria from 1948-67. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924, the second of eight children in a family of orthodox Jews. His fathers name was Amin Taabet, and his mothers Saadia Ibrahim. At this time the Ba'ath Party was illegal in Syria but the party seized power in 1963. The Syrians and their Russian advisers were alarmed by the intelligence that was seeping out of the country. If you've already watched all of The Spy and are curious to know more about Cohen, then these accounts of the real-life Cohen might make for curious reading. [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. Did you spend your weekend binge-watching Netflix's taut thriller, The Spy? 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. This helped the army win the Six-Day War and capture the Golan Heights. In 1951, he was arrested and interrogated over his Jewish and Zionist activities that he was carrying out under the tutelage of Alexandria's chief rabbi. He had also participated in various Israeli furtive operations in the country during the 1950s. 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 had an input into and an impact on Syrian national defense and was privy to almost all their secrets. It is for these reasons Eli Cohen is known as Israels greatest spy. 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. 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. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. 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. Sacha Baron Cohen, the Mossad and Netflix. Eli Cohenalso learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons.

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