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. I am begging you my dear Nadia not to spend your time in weeping about some thing already passed. I understand and respect [it], she said in a separate interview earlier Sunday with the network. He arrived in Israel on February 8, 1957. The condom was used as a timing tool for mixed chemicals and produce a minor burst of fire. "It was all for good intentions. try to make as many friends as possible, and establish contact with Arab leaders. How is it that you dare allow a stranger to read a classified document? he angrily asked Saif. ", "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? 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. Cohen was convicted of espionage. While there, he gained the trust of Amin al-Hafez, who would later become Syrias president. Cohen wrote in his final letter on 15 May 1965:[7]. Syria has not even disclosed the location of Eli's grave. Cohen immigrated to Israel in 1957 and was recruited by Military Intelligence, to a unit that later became part of the Mossad. Eli had lost his friends, in 1957 he immigrates to Israel. In 1954, Egyptian authorities arrested Eli for being a terror suspect. Given their history of a paper trail, its fitting but heartbreaking to learn that their final exchange also took place over written correspondence. In a display of generosity, the tabet contributed some money to build a public kitchen for the poor of Damascus. For his loyalties, Hafiz grooms Thaabet to be deputy defense minister in his government. [31] A memorial stone has been erected to Cohen in the Garden of the Missing Soldiers in Mount Herzl, Jerusalem. 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. The execution was recorded on 35mm film. Today, one can see the former Syrian bunkers that remain on the Golan Heights from 1967 (as well as the tanks from 1973). In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. Meir even appealed to the Soviet Union. Warning: This article contains spoilers for all six episodes of The Spy. Nadia Cohen attempted to appeal for clemency at the Syrian Embassy in Paris but was turned away. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. they carry out several bombings in Cairo and Alexandria, targeting libraries and cultural centers, cinemas, post offices. Nadia (born Nadia Majald) is an Iraqi Jew who got married to Eli on August 31, 1959. Intelligence created a completely new identity for him. He was interrogated and tortured. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. Reports earlier this year said a Russian delegation had removed his remains from Syria in an attempt to bring them to Israel. Eli Cohen's daughter Sofia Ben-Dor was excited about it because that is all they have. he transfers all operations to Mossad, Eli was now Mossad agent. It was after Atassi resigned on July 27 that Hafiz was named president. [9] The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence,[25] but the Syrians refused. On 29 December 2022, Cohen was sworn in as Foreign Minister alongside a new government, and will rotate the position with Israel Katz. The highly vigilant Russian security experts, equipped with very sensitive technical intelligence-gathering equipment, pinpointed the source of the transmissions in the Syrian capital and it was Elis home. Prior to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. "I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has past," his final letter read. In November 1964, Tel Dan Syria open fire on Israel tractors in the demilitarized zone. After a few months, Eli was visited by George Salem Seif, a radio show host in charge of radio Damascus broadcast for Syrian abord. When Intelligence came by a second time, he jumped at it. Please try again or choose an option below. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anythingDo what you must, don't deprive the children of a father. He then moved to Damascus in February 1962, under his new identity, Kamel Amin Thaabet, to extract classified information from Syrian military officers. Cohen established his contact quickly, his letter of recommendation opened the gates to high society. His remains have yet to be returned, despite pleas from his family. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anything. He was sentenced to death. In August 2008, Assad's former bureau chief, Monthir Maosily, revealed that Eli had been buried thrice and that Israel would never receive his body. But his knowledge of. He lasted until just July that year when he resigned in protest of the Ba'ath military committee executing dissenting rivals who tried to stage a coup for power. A number were only released 14 years later, after the 1967 War. The Israeli government and Cohens widow have for many years sought the return of Elis body. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. Every morning, Eli would leave home and head for the Aman training center. Since then, Nadia has always counted on him. It could not let Syria succeed and planning a response. Again, I. 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. [9], Cohen continued his social life as he had in Argentina, spending time in cafes listening to political gossip. You're not alone. Eli did go back to Syria, but his behavior changed. 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. [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. But in 2018, Cohens watch was retrieved in a secret Mossad scheme. However, Eli's loyalty was scrutinized, and he faced harassment by the 'Muslim Brotherhood.' tabet sends it to Argentina, where his friend dispatches them to Israel with a diplomatic pouch. Following Israel's independence in 1949, when Jewish families were leaving Egypt, Eli stayed back to finish his electronics degree. Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. 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.. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. 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. For a while, Cohen tried his hand at civilian life. 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. For a while, Cohen tried his hand at civilian life. Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. 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. Eli studied at a local Jewish community school and then attended the 'University of Alexandria' to study electrical engineering. For four years, Cohen posed as a Syrian textile businessman named Kamal Amin Thabet, first in Argentina and later in Damascus. Once Cohen had established his background, he was inserted into the "target country," Syria, and operated with great success for four years until his capture. Sophia Cohen the 26-year-old daughter of billionaire hedge funder and Mets owner Steve Cohen is no longer engaged to her financier boyfriend Jason Levine, Page Six has confirmed. Eli Cohen was first sent to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to establish his cover as a Syrian emigre. Cohen accepted the calling. 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. It also provides 30% of Israels water sources. At the beginning of the 1956 War, when Israel occupied the Sinai, Eli Cohen was detained by the Egyptian authorities, and was expelled from Egypt along with the remainder of Alexandrian Jews at the end of the war. Eli Cohen provided an incredible amount of intelligence data to the Israeli Army over a period of three years. He was caught and sentenced to death. "Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future!". 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. Its unfamiliar to me, this form of expression in a global television series. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. Cohen went undercover in Syria as Kamel Amin Thaabet in the early 1960s, aligned himself with key military and government personnel and fed intel back to Israel. The border with Syria was heating up as well. In a February 2006 interview with Jewish Magazine, Maurice Cohen said that he informed his brother that he knew he was "our man in Damascus" in an intriguing way, rather than outright confronting him as seen in The Spy. Ahead of the mission, Cohen had to learn to speak Arabic in a Syrian accent rather than his native Egyptian. [6] Cohen spoke five languages fluently. 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. 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. I think as long as Bashar Assad is in power I dont see the word progress,' she said, referring to Syrias dictator. 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. In exchange for his freedom, he agreed to work for Egypt's intelligence service. Maurice Cohen told his brother he had a new phone line installed in his house and "gave the number of his apartment in Damascus, which I had received in a message just before he'd come home.". They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Buenos Aires in 1961. [4], Cohen provided an extensive amount and wide range of intelligence data for the Israeli Army between 1961 and 1965. Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. For the next two years, he worked as a filing clerk in a Tel Aviv insurance office. References ^ Eli Cohen Knesset ^ Eli Cohen Ministry of Economy and Industry ^ Kulanu list Central Elections Committee 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. [5] He studied at Cairo Farouk University. There is always the risk that the agent remains loyal to his original handlers and has managed to fool his new bosses. 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). In the interview, she said that her husband left behind memoirs, notes and other evidence. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. 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. He genuinely fit into life in the Syrian capital, and he was never suspected of being a spy until almost the very end. 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. Eli's handlers were continually persuading him to return. In February 2007, a Turkish official assured assistance to Eli's family to get back his body. It doesnt fit our story but I understand the situation. Eli was friends with two highly placed Army officers, Colonels Hatoum and Dali, who were fully informed about the scheme. Cohen's training was long and exhausting. He was tortured, but he wouldnt give away any incriminating information about Israel. On May 18, 1965, Eli was publicly hanged at the Marjeh Square in Damascus, Syria. Israeli intelligence was particularly excited about Cohen . [26], Monthir Maosily, the former bureau chief of Hafez Al-Assad, claimed in August 2008 that the Syrians had buried him three times to stop the remains from being taken back to Israel via a special operation. The Israel Defense Forces were alleged to have used the trees as targeting markers during the Six-Day War, which enabled Israel to capture the Golan Heights in two days. Eli Cohen, at 29, offered his services to the Israeli Intelligence Services but was rebuked twice. [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. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to Israel. Ben-Dor was pessimistic that Israel would soon be able to retrieve her fathers body from Syria. 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. 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. As Intelligence Chief Meir Amit said, Eli succeeded far beyond the capabilities of most other men.. Still, the memory of those domestic joys sustains Cohen while hes away. Meanwhile, every few days he transmitted important information to his Israeli handlers via a radio transmitter he had hidden in his room. In the show, Cohenas Thaabetbefriends Hafiz in Buenos Aires and later in Damascus helps Hafiz's Ba'ath party seize power. 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. In January 1965, Syrian security services broke into Eli's apartment, where he was caught while he was escaping to Israel. This helped the army win the Six-Day War and capture the Golan Heights. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. 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. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. With time he was taken even more into the confidence of the highest echelons of power. In 1960, the national intelligence agency of Israel, 'Mossad,' approached Eli for a classified mission in Syria. After some months, Abdel Latif Hassan introduces Eli to General Amin El-Hafez, the military attache at the embassy. His captors later remarked on his noble bearing and his courage despite the horrific Syrian interrogation methods. 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. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? 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. He escaped punishment due to lack of evidence. Nadia, widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, reacts during an interview with Reuters in Herzliya, Israel October 6, 2019. . While undercover in Argentina in The Spy, Cohen struggles to resist drafting her notes, even if it puts him in danger. Even today Syria refuses to return his body for burial in Israel. Eli Cohen, Israels most famous spy, also happened to be a hopeless romantic. He then underwent a show trial, like the Operation Susannah spies had in Egypt 12 years before., Like them, his verdict was predetermined. he supplies Eli with inside information about the political and military situation. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. In January 1965, Syrian government officials announced that Eli is an Israeli spy. 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. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. 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. 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. Eliyahu (Eli) Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, was born in Alexandria in 1924. He sent intelligence to Israel by radio, secret letters, and occasionally in person; he secretly traveled to Israel three times.