He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? He worked as an accountant. when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future! 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. The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the. Nadia believed it and went to see him off at the airport in 1961. He was hanged on May 18, 1965. Offended, he resigned from military counterintelligence and took up a clerical job in a Tel Aviv insurance office. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. He died in 2009. 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. On 29 December 2022, Cohen was sworn in as Foreign Minister alongside a new government, and will rotate the position with Israel Katz. As Intelligence Chief Meir Amit said, Eli succeeded far beyond the capabilities of most other men.. [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). We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. He made friends who moved in highly influential Syrian circles, transmitting his findings back to Israel via radio. Over the years, Nadia has made several efforts to seek a bit of mercy from Syrian officials. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. 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. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. You're not alone.
Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story - Refinery29 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 Cohen (politician born 1972) - Wikipedia 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. The Syrians have consistently refused to do so. Cohen was born and raised in Egypt and was expelled to Israel in 1956. [18], Cohen made repeated visits to the southern frontier zone, providing photographs and sketches of Syrian positions.
The Spy is an aesthetically flawed portrait of Eli Cohen Eli Cohen | My Jewish Learning In early 1964, Eli was able to radio Tel Aviv that the channel was being dug along the entire length of the Syrian Heights to receive the diverted flow of the Baniyas River - one of the Jordans major sources - and empty into Jordanian territory. Eli carefully spelled out all the details of the project and passed them on to Israeli Intelligence. Last year, Israel was able to retrieve Cohens wristwatch from Syria and return it to his family. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. "He began writing the number but stopped abruptly and, looking flushed and flustered, mumbled under his breath about needing to run out to the supermarket before it closed. The unit bombed unoccupied American and British installations, expecting that this would be considered the work of Egyptians. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. The message was passed on to the Syrians, who arrested Cohen. He was sentenced to death. World leaders, wealthy individuals, the Israeli government, the pope, and others all intervened on his behalf. "I want to ask wasn't Eli worth the price? According to the report, Mossad agents were on their way to Auckland, with one text saying: "Wait for our partners to arrive before making a decision.". There is always the risk that the agent remains loyal to his original handlers and has managed to fool his new bosses. Also in Episode 5, viewers see Hafiz assume power after demanding the resignation of Syria's then-president, Nazim al-Qudsi. Nadia, however, never remarried. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. Eli found out about Syria's secret plan to attack the Israeli defense forces. 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. [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. In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. Eli was arrested but soon released due to a lack of evidence. His final visit was in 1964. After several days, Eli got a new identity as Kamal Amin Tablet, son of Syrian parents, born in Beirut. 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. He had an input into and an impact on Syrian national defense and was privy to almost all their secrets. 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. 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. He genuinely fit into life in the Syrian capital, and he was never suspected of being a spy until almost the very end. 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. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. He was tortured, but he wouldnt give away any incriminating information about Israel.
Nadia Cohen - Life Story of Widow of Israeli Spy Eli Cohen - Facts Ninja Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. Cohen was released because he was not linked with the underground. 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. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. 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. 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. The Syrian officer readily agreed and Eli immediately passed the information onto Israel. Even today Syria refuses to return his body for burial in Israel. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924. So now we have a request. This week, KAN 11 began broadcasting a documentary series "Lochem 566," (Fighter 566, Cohen's Mossad codename). Israel has had a quiet northern border on the Golan with the exception of some occasional fallout from the Syrian civil war for more than 40years.
He did not object, in fact, to the idea of a ladies man reputation. It hurt. Ahead of the mission, Cohen had to learn to speak Arabic in a Syrian accent rather than his native Egyptian. Nadia, understandably, has remained fixated on her loss. Still Ben-Dor, who was four years old when her father was killed, said she was pleasantly surprised by actor Cohens portrayal.
Unending Agony for Legendary Spy Eli Cohen and His Widow The president was ousted from power a year later in 1966. The execution was broadcast on Syrian television. Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence. But he spent most of his time in Tel Aviv perfecting his cover and being briefed on Amans requirements of him in Syria, as well as last-minute intelligence data needed for his mission. His success in effectively penetrating the Syrian social and political/diplomatic/military strata already wildly exceeded Amans expectations of him, Cohen arrived in Damascus in February 1962, posing as a businessman from Argentina who had returned to his native land. Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen) was the kind of guy to leave his wife spontaneous love letters throughout the house. The goal was to gather intelligence from high-ranking Syrian politicians and military officials. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. Cohen was convicted of espionage. Eli could watch the entrance to the Syrian government officials' guest house. 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 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]. 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.
Eli Cohen - Wikipedia In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. "- From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. Periodically Eli would return to Israel to speak with his Israeli handlers and visit his wife and small children. After three months, Eli spoke passable Spanish, knew Buenos Aires well, dressed, and behaved like thousands of Arab immigrants living in Buenos Aires. 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. [34], The Israeli settlement Eliad on the Golan Heights is named for him.[35]. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. 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. A devout Jew, Cohen wore tefillin during prayer, in his youth he planned of becoming a Rabbi with the backup of Moise Ventura (1893-1978), Chief Rabbi of Alexandria but the Rabbinical School closed down. Eli Cohenalso learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. Cohen established his contact quickly, his letter of recommendation opened the gates to high society. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. 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.
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. [12][16], In 2016, a Syrian group calling itself "Syrian art treasures" posted a video on Facebook showing Cohen's body after his execution. He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. He has reached the apex of success, and it seems that there is no door he can't open. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. 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. 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. Al-Hafidh wanted a million dollars for his services, texting: "1M for the minimum for kick start. He became a confidante of George Saif, high up in the Ministry of Information. In the show, Cohenas Thaabetbefriends Hafiz in Buenos Aires and later in Damascus helps Hafiz's Ba'ath party seize power. 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.
The True Story Behind The Spy on Netflix | Time One of the more famous aspects of his spying regarded a trip he took to the Golan Heights. They even started to organize a ceremony for Eli at the 'Mossad' headquarters in Glilot. [9], Cohen continued his social life as he had in Argentina, spending time in cafes listening to political gossip. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. 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. 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. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. For as little as $6/month, you will: Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. He became far less careful in his transmissions to Israel, sometimes calling once or even twice a day and almost always at the same time, at 8:30 in the morning. (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.