He made friends with many of the guests and ended up receiving classified military briefings and visiting Syrian military sites. In 1963, during a business trip to Germany, he met Weltrude Scheffeldt, a divorcee, then 22 and with a small child, and married her. [6] Cohen spoke five languages fluently. "I am the son of the only person on this planet who knows where the remains are buried," he told Newshub in an interview. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. 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. I had gotten under his cover," said Maurice Cohen. According to Scheffeldt, Cohen and al-Gamal were arrested together in 1954 and released shortly after. Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. 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. He would entertain high-ranking politicians and military officials at extravagant parties where there would be many women and lots of booze. [15], Cohen moved to Damascus in February 1962 under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet (Arabic: ). "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. After several days, Eli got a new identity as. Over the years, Nadia has made several efforts to seek a bit of mercy from Syrian officials. 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. In December 1956, the Jewish Agency assisted Eli to deport to Israel in a vessel. After three months, Eli spoke passable Spanish, knew Buenos Aires well, dressed, and behaved like thousands of Arab immigrants living in Buenos Aires. In 1954, Egyptian authorities arrested Eli for being a terror suspect. 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. Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. The execution was recorded on 35mm film. Due to this information, the Israeli Air Force was able to obliterate the Syrian plans for the diversion scheme by shelling and bombing the bulldozers and other equipment used for the scheme in early 1964. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. Al-Hafidh claims he was in negotiations with the Mossad to reveal the information, but wanted $1million for his services which the intelligence agency refused to pay. The execution was broadcast on Syrian television. 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. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. Eli told Nadia that he got a job with a company that works with defense and foreign ministries, he needs to travel to Europe to buy tools and equipment, and materials for Israel's military. In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. he soon became a well-known figure in the Arab circle. His fathers name was Amin Taabet, and his mothers Saadia Ibrahim. [8], Israel's secret police recruited a sabotage unit of Jewish Egyptian citizens in 1955 which attempted to undermine Egypt's relationships with western powers in the "Lavon Affair". His work bored him and he attempted to join the Mossad, but he was offended when the Mossad rejected him, and he resigned from military counter-intelligence. After the Israel Independence War In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. These skills were instrumental in ensuring the safety and survival of one Kamal Amin Taabet: Eli Cohens new identity. Cohen was caught and eventually executed by Syrian authorities in 1965. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. He was sent to Argentina, where he took on the guise of a businessman, scion of a Syrian family. 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. Prior to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. 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. [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. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. Periodically Eli would return to Israel to speak with his Israeli handlers and visit his wife and small children. [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). In 1960, Cohen was recruited to be part of a dangerous mission to Syria. Learn more. The Spy, a six-part Netflix miniseries about Cohen's life, showcases the legendary Mossad agent's relationship with his wife, Nadia (Hadar Ratzon Rotem). They observed a period of radio silence, in the hope that any illegal transmissions could be identified. Source:The Pedagogic Center, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, (c) 1992-2007. they let him see fortification and the bunkers, weapon concentrated in the area, and their offensive plans.l lieutenant Zaher Al-Din took Eli to the El Hama military camp, where large quantities of new weapons had been stored. To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Buenos Aires in 1961. He then underwent a show trial, like the Operation Susannah spies had in Egypt 12 years before., Like them, his verdict was predetermined. The agency concluded that Cohen had a high IQ, great bravery, a phenomenal memory, and the ability to keep a secret; but the tests also showed that in spite of his modest appearance, he has an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and a lot of internal tension. Cohen, the results indicated, does not always evaluate danger correctly, and is liable to assume risks beyond those which are necessary.. In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. [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. 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. His new friends introduced Eli to top government officials, senior army officers, and leaders of the ruling party. While there, he gained the trust of Amin al-Hafez, who would later become Syrias president. They successfully detected radio transmissions and were able to triangulate the transmitter. Eli was arrested but soon released due to a lack of evidence. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Elis friendship with Amin al-Hafez proved very valuable. The location of Cohen's body remains unknown. This is adefinitive andfinal verdict. Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. He then left the university and continued his studies at home. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. He had three brothers. In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. Even today Syria refuses to return his body for burial in Israel. On January 25, 2000, Nadia presented a picture of a new postage stamp with Elis face, to Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, honoring her husband. Ben-Dor was pessimistic that Israel would soon be able to retrieve her fathers body from Syria. He also requested her to remarry so that their children would have a father and she would have a partner. In 1960, the national intelligence agency of Israel, 'Mossad,' approached Eli for a classified mission in Syria. 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. The unit bombed unoccupied American and British installations, expecting that this would be considered the work of Egyptians. 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. In February 2007, a Turkish official assured assistance to Eli's family to get back his body. He took on the name Kamel Amin Thaabet and went to live in Argentina for some time to build a name for himself in the Syrian expat community. 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. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. [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. Eli Cohen was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy best known for his espionage work in the 1960s in Syria, where it was alleged he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy and became the chief adviser to the country's defense minister. [8], Cohen was found guilty of espionage by a military tribunal and sentenced to death under martial law. [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. 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. After a few months, Eli was visited by George Salem Seif, a radio show host in charge of radio Damascus broadcast for Syrian abord. He set up a travel agency in Tel Aviv and developed ties with the upper echelons of Israeli society, including politicians. One day in 1960 Israeli Intelligence approached him about working for them again. 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. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. He worked as an accountant. It hurt. At times before the civil war, the Syrians used Israels northern border with Lebanon to harass Israel the way they used to from the Golan Heights. From 1961 to 1965, Eli transmitted crucial intelligence data, including that of the Golan Heights, to the Israeli army. 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. 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. 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. 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. Eli Cohen's son, Shaul, was only 2 weeks old when he last saw his father. 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. In exchange for his freedom, he agreed to work for Egypt's intelligence service. they carry out several bombings in Cairo and Alexandria, targeting libraries and cultural centers, cinemas, post offices. 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. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. He carefully cultivated contacts with the Baath leadership, which included the Syrian military attach in Argentina, General Amin al-Hafaz. Eli studied at a local Jewish community school and then attended the 'University of Alexandria' to study electrical engineering. 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. one evening he met one gentleman, Abdel Latif Hassan, editor in chief of Arab world magazine publish in Argentina. References ^ Eli Cohen Knesset ^ Eli Cohen Ministry of Economy and Industry ^ Kulanu list Central Elections Committee 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. On his last visit, in 1964, he told intelligence officers he wanted to come in from the cold because he was concerned a new Syrian intelligence commander did not like him. 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. 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. One of the ministrys directors entered the room unannounced. But he refused). But within a month he had lost his Tel Aviv-based accountancy job. The actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a . Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence. also learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. Eli Cohen was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy best known for his espionage work in the 1960s in Syria, where it was alleged he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military. 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. The Syrians have consistently refused to do so. Recalling Elis final days, Nadia states he was in Bat Yam, with her and the three babies. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. He worked as an accountant and translator. [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. Egypt has the strongest of the Arab countries and sworn enamy if Israel with the decision to evacuate Egypt, modern bases, airfield, and huge stores of equipment and war material would fall into the Egyptian army. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. Also in Episode 5, viewers see Hafiz assume power after demanding the resignation of Syria's then-president, Nazim al-Qudsi. Cohen later. After several days, Eli got a new identity as Kamal Amin Tablet, son of Syrian parents, born in Beirut. Nadia Majald, and together they had three children. Eli himself was not above the spicier part of a spys life either. 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. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. 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. Eli's first instructor Yitzhak learned to memorize things, he throws a dozen objects on the table and Eli observe them for a second and described them. A year later, in 1965, Cohen was caught transmitting over the radio back to Tel Aviv. 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. 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. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. He worked as an accountant and translator. 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. [29] Mossad director Yossi Cohen presented it to Cohen's family in a ceremony, and it is currently on display at Mossad headquarters. 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.". Their youngest child, Shai, was only 21 days old then. 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. Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. 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. A memorial stone has been erected in the 'Garden of the Missing Soldiers' in Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, to commemorate him. The goal was to gather intelligence from high-ranking Syrian politicians and military officials. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. He was tortured, but he wouldnt give away any incriminating information about Israel. I was more worried, Ben-Dor said of hearing that Cohen, who is known for playing comedic figures such as Borat, would star in the series. 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.