In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935, [10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence. 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. You're not alone. He says the spies wanted him to try and talk to his father's close friends or provide insight. If I wanted something, I called, they put me through to him immediately. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. 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. On May 18, 1965, Eli was publicly hanged at the Marjeh Square in Damascus, Syria. Warning: This article contains spoilers for all six episodes of The Spy. 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. Returning to Nadia is Cohens ultimate goal. For four years, Cohen posed as a Syrian textile businessman named Kamal Amin Thabet, first in Argentina and later in Damascus. In the show, Cohenas Thaabetbefriends Hafiz in Buenos Aires and later in Damascus helps Hafiz's Ba'ath party seize power. During their exchange, Cohen signs off by asking, "Did N get the Singer?" Fiyaz Mughal,Eli Cohens body must be returned to Israel, The JC, (Undated). He was eventually exposed and captured by Syrian Intelligence in 1965, sentenced to death and hung at Damascus' main square. Following Israel's independence in 1949, when Jewish families were leaving Egypt, Eli stayed back to finish his electronics degree. From 1961 to 1965, Eli transmitted crucial intelligence data, including that of the Golan Heights, to the Israeli army. After a few months, Eli was visited by George Salem Seif, a radio show host in charge of radio Damascus broadcast for Syrian abord. Thus, he wished to terminate his assignment in Syria. The unit bombed unoccupied American and British installations, expecting that this would be considered the work of Egyptians. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. he transfers all operations to Mossad, Eli was now Mossad agent. He was sent to Argentina, where he took on the guise of a businessman, scion of a Syrian family. 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. [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". He did not object, in fact, to the idea of a ladies man reputation. Sacha Baron Cohen in 'The Spy' as Eli Cohen. To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Buenos Aires in 1961. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel, 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, Sophie Ben-Dor (Screen capture: Channel 12 News), This undated photo shows Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Syria wearing a wristwatch recovered by the Mossad in 2018. He wrote a last letter to his wife before he mounted the scaffold to a seething crowd. In February 2007, the Turkish government offered to act as a mediator for their return. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. 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. 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. In 1961, Eli was sent to Buenos Aires in the guise of a Syrian textile businessman. He was a legend," I declare. There is always the risk that the agent remains loyal to his original handlers and has managed to fool his new bosses. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxhaPGREa74. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. [7] Cohen is married, has four children and lives in Holon. 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. [9], Cohen continued his social life as he had in Argentina, spending time in cafes listening to political gossip. He worked as an accountant. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to capture it. Eli did go back to Syria, but his behavior changed. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future! Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. "It was all for good intentions. Syria tortures him but he was still lying, his face was covered with wounds, his nail was pulled out. While undercover in Argentina in The Spy, Cohen struggles to resist drafting her notes, even if it puts him in danger. children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen Born Country: Egypt Spies Israeli Men Died on: May 18, 1965 place of death: Al Marjeh Square, Damascus, Syria Notable Alumni: Cairo Farouk University Cause of Death: Executed By Hanging City: Alexandria, Egypt More Facts Recommended Lists: Israeli Celebrities Male Spies Israeli Spies Capricorn Men [34], The Israeli settlement Eliad on the Golan Heights is named for him.[35]. Since then, Nadia has always counted on him. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. [8] His most famous achievement was the tour of the Golan Heights in which he collected intelligence on the Syrian fortifications there. Nadia and 'Mossad' were on bad terms until Meir Dagan was made the agencys chief. Concentrate on yourself, looking forward for a better future! It takes just a few seconds. 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. He emigrated to Israel with the assistance of the Jewish Agency. In Episode 5, Maurice puts the clues together when he covers for the regular analyst that communicates with Cohen using Morse code. 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. Eli had lost his friends, in 1957 he immigrates to Israel. His wife, Nadia, would be left a widow with three very young children. Meir even appealed to the Soviet Union. One day in 1960 Israeli Intelligence approached him about working for them again. "My darling Nadia, and my dear family,I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever.I beg my wife to forgive me, to take care of herself and our children. 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. later he handed with Syrian passport in name of kamal Amin tabet, he advised to open a bank account in that name and start visiting Arab restaurants, the cinema where Arab movies are shown, and political club. they carry out several bombings in Cairo and Alexandria, targeting libraries and cultural centers, cinemas, post offices. We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. one after the other 69 people were arrested. She once called her children and four grandchildren to her home in Herzliya, clicked a photo of them together, and sent it to Assad, congratulating him on the birth of his son, Bashar. 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. It doesnt fit our story but I understand the situation. Cohen immigrated to Israel in 1957 and was recruited by Military Intelligence, to a unit that later became part of the Mossad. In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. "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 Spy" depicts Egyptian-born Cohen - played by Sacha Baron Cohen - as an ambitious, Arabic-speaking immigrant to Israel who is recruited by Mossad and, overcoming his fears and the strains on his family, infiltrates the Damascus high command by posing as a rich scion of the Syrian diaspora. Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story, American History Has Been Whitewashed, But, Black Teen Girls On TV Are A Mess Finally. Nadia, however, never remarried. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. The Syrians have consistently refused to do so. The daughter of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen said Sunday "it hurt" to watch the new Netflix series about her father's life and execution in Syria, lamenting some historical inaccuracies in. In his late teens, Cohen became an ardent Zionist and at the same time, as . Eliyahu (Eli) Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, was born in Alexandria in 1924. [9], Syria refused to return Cohen's body to his family in Israel, and his wife Nadia sent a letter to Amin al-Hafiz in November 1965 asking his forgiveness for Cohen's actions and requesting his remains. 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. (PMO), Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli spy Eli Cohen in The Spy (YouTube screenshot), Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965. Sacha Baron Cohen, the Mossad and Netflix. The children could not react to Eli's absence. He sent intelligence to Israel by radio, secret letters, and occasionally in person; he secretly traveled to Israel three times. he supplies Eli with inside information about the political and military situation. He was driven to the airport, where his wife Nadia saw him off. In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. Kamal Amin Taabet (also called Tabas in some sources) was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Syrian Muslim parents. 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. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anything. love of country, sacrifice and about his life and my life, my children." . They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together.
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