[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". While there, he gained the trust of Amin al-Hafez, who would later become Syrias president. Various reports say that Biton was unveiled and offered the option of becoming a double agent. 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. In February 1961 one man handed him an Israeli passport in his real name and a plane ticket to Zurich.on his arrival, Eli was met by a white-haired man who gave him a passport from another name, that passport carried an entry visa to chile and a transit visa to Argentina. The film featured John Shea as Eli. Initially she was frustrated by the many inaccuracies in the dramatic portrayal, such as showing her struggling to work as a seamstress for an Israeli socialite or a Mossad handler becoming romantically interested in her. [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. He took an active part in a student protest against anti-Semitism. Premiering Friday, Sep. 6, the six-episode miniseries tells the iconic story of Eli Cohen, a Mossad agent who undertook a mission to ingratiate himself into the upper echelons of Syrian society a . Cohen was released because he was not linked with the underground. Language. Cohen's training was long and exhausting. In 2006, after the death of Elis brother Maurice, she replaced him as the leader of a campaign to return his remains to Israel. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. She also said she understood and respected the show. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. your father and uncle opened a textile store, but it went bankrupt your father died in 1956 and six months later your mother died too. Feb 9, 2022. For as little as $6/month, you will: Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. [34], The Israeli settlement Eliad on the Golan Heights is named for him.[35]. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. In 1957, Nadias future husband Eli Cohen emigrated from Egypt to Israel, where his brother and his wife lived. 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. 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. Read more. He was sent to Argentina, where he took on the guise of a businessman, scion of a Syrian family. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. Also known as. . Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. Cohen later. Call Eli Cohen Agency Inc. at (718) 336-1700 or visit us at 2003 Coney Island Ave. We will be happy to work with you to make sure your family's financial security is always protected. Nadia, already struggling to raise two kids alone while avoiding neighbors questions about her husbands long absences, became suspicious after he told her not to open the envelopes he received when he was at home. ", "Sacha Baron Cohen To Star As Eli Cohen in Netflix Limited Series 'The Spy', Cohen's widow asks for his remains to be returned, PM's speech at the ceremony marking 40 years since the death of Eli Cohen, Our man in Damascus: Eli Cohen of blessed memory, Exhibition in the IDF & Defense Establishment Archives, Eli Cohen, moments after the execution (part 1), Eli Cohen, moments after the execution (part 2), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eli_Cohen&oldid=1140124388, Egyptian people convicted of spying for Israel, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles having same image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 15:41. In 1957, Eli joined the Israel Defense Forces as a counterintelligence analyst and later applied for the Israeli intelligence agency 'Mossad,' which rejected him. By ToI Staff 21 September 2016, 1:52 am. ", "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? when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. one evening he met one gentleman, Abdel Latif Hassan, editor in chief of Arab world magazine publish in Argentina. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. After a few months, Eli was visited by George Salem Seif, a radio show host in charge of radio Damascus broadcast for Syrian abord. Rudy Giuliani confirms Trump repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels hush money. he soon became a well-known figure in the Arab circle. Cohen established his contact quickly, his letter of recommendation opened the gates to high society. Learn more. Label. According to al-Gamal's version, he saw a photograph in an Arab newspaper at a newspaper stand in Frankfurt's train station that showed Amin Kamel Thabet touring fortifications on the Golan Heights with Syrian officers. 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. One of his friends found a new job as an accountant, month later he Marty with Nadia, a nurse of Iraqi origin. The crime of obtaining secret information is kept hidden to ensure the safety of the country to benefit the enemy. The 2019 'Netflix' miniseries 'The Spy' had actor Sacha Baron Cohen portraying Eli. In 1960, Cohen was approached by the Mossad for a mission in Syria. Eli Cohenhad 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. Cohen was publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square in Damascus on 18 May 1965. We, citizens of Israel, will forever remember Eli Cohen as a true hero, who sacrificed his life in the defense of our security and for the freedom of our country." (Ynet) He ultimately complied. He set up a travel agency in Tel Aviv and developed ties with the upper echelons of Israeli society, including politicians. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. It was deep cover. He came home only a few times, and became increasingly secretive about his work. Netflix's The Spy is a thrilling television miniseries starring Sacha Baron Cohen as real-life Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who infiltrated the Syrian government at a high level during the 1960s. A noose was placed around his neck by a high-ranking Syrian government official who read the charges against Eli, who stood silently looking frightened. For the next two years, he worked as a filing clerk in a Tel Aviv insurance office. He was husband to Carole Cohen; brother to Narda Gabbay; father to Margalit Tocher, Roslyn V Eli Cohenbecame certain that Israel had spied in the Syrian government. After coming to Israel, he briefly worked as a counter-intelligence analyst with the Israel Defense Forces, but resigned after his attempt to join the Mossad was rejected. 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. . 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. They were married in a synagogue within a month and she soon became pregnant with their first child, daughter Sophie. He returned home to his family only a few times during his mission. But . I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever. Cohen underwent nine months of basic training, which also included photography and film development and instruction in the use of encryption and a Morse code transmitter. Here are 18 Jewish facts about Sacha Baron Cohen that are integral to his life and career. Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence. Dr. Eli Cohen passed away peacefully in his home on May 1, 2018, surrounded by his wife and three children. He had been repeatedly interrogated and tortured. I give you my blessing. Eli and Nadia Cohen under the chuppah. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. I beg my wife to forgive me, to take care of herself and our children. 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. The two got acquainted with each other as he lived opposite her house and they immediately fell in love. [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. Eli was arrested, interrogated, and tortured. 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. After weeks of surveillance, he was finalized and was put to training. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5peXQKFMyNk. "It was like a think tank," explained Paul. This is adefinitive andfinal verdict. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. 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