He was sent to Argentina, where he took on the guise of a businessman, scion of a Syrian family. Eli Cohenbecame certain that Israel had spied in the Syrian government. He wasnt even drafted into regular service but was placed in a reserve Israeli Air Force formation as a logistics clerk. Perhaps he wasnt allowed into the security service due to his Military Intelligence evaluation some years before. Over the years, Nadia has made several efforts to seek a bit of mercy from Syrian officials. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. What Netflix's 'The Spy' Gets Wrong About Eli Cohen [8], Cohen was found guilty of espionage by a military tribunal and sentenced to death under martial law. Its unfamiliar to me, this form of expression in a global television series. 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. 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. In 2016, Nadia told 'Israel Radio' that former 'Mossad' chief Meir Dagan had asked the US officials to help bring Elis remains. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to Israel in 1957. Despite this, however, Israeli intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. He ultimately complied. 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. By Lianne Back. 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.. 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. He has reached the apex of success, and it seems that there is no door he can't open. 4 Min Read. He had seventeen lovers in Syria, all dazzling beauties with a fair degree of family power. Eli hoped as did Israeli Intelligence that these women would help him escape in time of crisis.. 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. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? He became a confidante of George Saif, high up in the Ministry of Information. Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. 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). 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. But in 2018, Cohens watch was retrieved in a secret Mossad scheme. He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. Elis larger-than-life persona has attracted many filmmakers, who have then used his story for their projects. 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. Cohen wrote in his final letter on 15 May 1965:[7]. He continued his social life, spending a lot of time in cafes listening to political gossip. "Soon after, my commanding officers summoned me to my base and informed me that Eli had spoken to them about the phone number incident. 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. 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. The husband hunters among the Damascus rich and influential flocked to the handsome Taabet, hoping that their almond eyes, Byzantine beauty, and olive skin would secure a future of wealth and power: He became the most sought-after bachelor in the Syrian capital. 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. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. He remembered and passed on to Israeli Intelligence the positioning of every Syrian gun, trench, and machine-gun nest in each Golan Heights fortification; tank traps, designed to impede any Israeli attack, were also identified and memorized for future targeting.. 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 would then send intelligence back to Israel using a hidden radio transmitter. 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 Cohenarrived in Buenos Aires and checked into a hotel .a local teacher would get in touch with him and teach him the Spanish language. Monthir Maosily, a former bureau chief for Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, claimed in 2007 that Hafiz and Cohen were not as close as was made out and that stories of Cohen infiltrating the very top of Syrian politics "had been exaggerated to undermine Syria, as if he was a spy who had transmitted Syria's deepest secrets.". 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 six-part drama about Israeli spy Eli Cohen has gripped viewers and critics alike with its pulse-racing tale of espionage and a deceptively good dramatic performance by Sacha Baron Cohen, better known for his comedy work, as the Mossad agent. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. Cohen was born in 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt to a devout Mizrahi Jewish and Zionist family. In a display of generosity, the tabet contributed some money to build a public kitchen for the poor of Damascus. A memorial stone has been erected in the 'Garden of the Missing Soldiers' in Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, to commemorate him. The melting winter snows produce a huge run-off of water which makes the Golan a beautifully verdant area in the late winter and spring and irrigates the Hula and Jordan Valleys below. While Eli was not directly involved with the Operation Susannah spies, he was involved with pro-Israel activity, and he was brutally questioned by Egypts Intelligence Services. He emigrated to Israel with the assistance of the Jewish Agency. He genuinely fit into life in the Syrian capital, and he was never suspected of being a spy until almost the very end. This helped the army win the Six-Day War and capture the Golan Heights. Israeli spy's widow 'hurt' by Netflix biopic but hopes it will help [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). Intelligence created a completely new identity for him. Eli Cohen's daughter Sofia Ben-Dor was excited about it because that is all they have. Qudsi was ousted from power as a result of the March 8 coup, but Hafiz did not take power until months later. 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. The TV film 'The Impossible Spy' (1987) chronicled Eli's life. After three months, Eli spoke passable Spanish, knew Buenos Aires well, dressed, and behaved like thousands of Arab immigrants living in Buenos Aires. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. He was caught and sentenced to death. Eli Cohen was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents, who had migrated to Alexandria from Syria. The Syrians have consistently refused to do so. [9] The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence,[25] but the Syrians refused. Widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen: Netflix drama 'raises my blood pressure' Israel desperately tried to have his sentence commuted, and despite requests from world leaders and Pope Paul VI for clemency, Cohen was hanged publicly in May of that year. Kamal Amin Taabet (also called Tabas in some sources) was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Syrian Muslim parents. Eli Cohen, the spy who was larger than life - The Jerusalem Post His successes couldn't be vocally shared with his family, however. Cohen immigrated to Israel in 1957 and was recruited by Military Intelligence, to a unit that later became part of the Mossad. 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. They even started to organize a ceremony for Eli at the 'Mossad' headquarters in Glilot. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. 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. Eli was brutally tortured and interrogated before he was publicly hanged on May 18, 1965, at the Marjeh Square in Damascus. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. 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. By 1960, however, Israeli Intelligence was ready to take another look at Eli Cohen. [5] He studied at Cairo Farouk University. The location of Cohen's body remains unknown. But his knowledge of. Still, the memory of those domestic joys sustains Cohen while hes away. For two weeks Cohen was put under surveillance and was judged suitable for recruitment and training. For 19 years, Jewish settlements in the north were under constant threat of Syrian guns. The next day he comes to Hassan's office and admitted that he is sick and tired to live in Argentina, he wanted to go back to Syria, could he help him with a letter of recommendation? 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. Cohen's widow, Nadia, said that following the report she appealed directly to Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, demanding answers as to why the deal did not go through. Eli Cohen was sent to Syria as an undercover agent, and he turned out to be the greatest spy to date. "I have passed your response to our partners and am waiting for a reply," said the agent. References ^ Eli Cohen Knesset ^ Eli Cohen Ministry of Economy and Industry ^ Kulanu list Central Elections Committee He had been repeatedly interrogated and tortured. How is it that you dare allow a stranger to read a classified document? he angrily asked Saif. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to Israel. Eli Cohen's daughter lukewarm on 'The Spy,' but likes Sacha Baron Cohen Why Mossad's Retrieval of Eli Cohen's Watch Matters - SOFREP click the link in that email to complete your registration. The agent replied: "Will do, thanks K". It was after Atassi resigned on July 27 that Hafiz was named president. He was quickly able to infiltrate the highest levels of Syrian society. Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition.