Apparently, the woman that had the watch after Cohens arrest and execution wanted to sell it. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. Upon the watchs return to Israel, special research and intelligence operations were carried out which culminated in the unequivocal determination that this was indeed Eli Cohens watch, the Mossad said. He was a member of the Maccabi youth movement and a member of the Maccabi youth movement As a Jew with Zionist awareness, I was filled with pride at the establishment of the State of Israel, and his initial contact with the Israeli intelligence community was created in 1952 when he was twenty-eight years old.In the same period, the IDFs intelligence apparatus operated secret cells In Egypt. He was a hero who gave his life in the service of his country, and the people owes a great debt to his memory for his contribution to security. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said at a rally in memory of Eli Cohen: Even thirty years later, the legend of Eli Cohen lives within us The intelligence fighter in Israel is a target, different from any other fighter He is alone, he is also the soldier and he is also the commander. Una familia que vive el Imperio Otomano, el Mandato Britnico y la Guerra de la Independencia de Israel. They infiltrated into Syria and were able to purchase the watch and bring it home. It was over. [4][6], He was then given a false identity as a Syrian businessman who was returning to the country after living in Argentina. Over the years, Nadia Cohen unsuccessfully made several appeals to the Syrian government to release her late husbands remains. To my dear Nadia and my dear family: I am writing to you these last words, a few minutes before my end, and I would like to beg you to be forever united. But he returned for one final go at it, unaware that the Syrians had brought in Soviet radio direction finding equipment. After the cell was exposed, in an affair that was later known as the shameful affair, Eli was arrested for questioning by the Egyptian police and immediately released for lack of evidence. It remains our obligation to bring Eli home, to bury him in Israel, Pardo said at the event. The website www.elicohen.org.il provides extensive information about Eli Cohens heritage and the love of Israel. On January 24, 1965, Syria officially announced the exposure of spy Eli Cohen. Read Next: On This Date in 1962, Nazi War Criminal Adolf Eichmann Hanged in Israel. in hendrgravida [7][8], Cohen (in the middle) at the Golan Heights, Cohen moved to Damascus in February 1962 under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet . Marco Carmel. Where are you from? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). However, his name and picture were put on the list of suspects. You can get remarried in order not to deprive the children of a father. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel, BONUS - What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: Taking advantage of this moment of decisions. With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! His heritageof dedication, determination. The judge accused him of treason, for the entire Syrian leadership regarded him as an Arab. Israel's Mossad intelligence agency may have tried to smuggle the body of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen out of Syria some 40 years ago, according to a recording made by Cohen's brother. Eli Cohen was born in Egypt in a Jewish family. But as of today, that still hasnt happened. For two weeks he was put under surveillance, and was judged suitable for recruitment and training. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. During the early 1960s, he succeeded in infiltrating the highest levels of the Syrian defense establishment. , Began to suspect that Syria was operating a mole. Im 83 years old, she says with the air of someone who is seasoned. Cohen had returned to Israel in late December 1964 to be there for the birth of his son and tried to convince his bosses to let him remain. He travelled to Israel for a brief espionage training course in 1955 and returned to Egypt the following year. Because of his friendship with the activists in one of the cells, they asked him to rent a room for them in the city. Between 1961 and 1965 Cohen passed Syrian secrets to the Israeli government in what is remembered as one of the most daring and productive intelligence-gathering . Please be always in close communication with my dear parent. By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. After his request to integrate into a more operational activity was rejected, he chose to try his luck in the civilian market. Cohen grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, the son of Syrian Jewish parents. 2022-12-27 06:12:08. The memorial consists of a 19,000-square-meter site . The film The Impossible Spy is a depiction of his life. I felt like it was part of his body, that some of his skin and some of his blood was in that watch, she added. Yes it could. A two-minute video posted on Syrian opposition. I walk under an archway and up the stairs leading to a white stucco home whose door is opened by Mrs. Nadia Cohen, the elderly widow of Eli Cohen. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [9][10], The tactics of Cohen to build relations with Syrian high-ranked politicians, military officials, influential public figures and local foreign diplomacy community, have been carefully masterminded by Mossad. Cohen was then informed that the Mossad had decided to recruit him, and underwent an intensive, six-month course at the Mossad training school. One of the ministry's directors entered the room unannounced. [citation needed], In 1955, a sabotage unit, made of Jewish Egyptian citizens and recruited by Israel's secret police, operated against their native Egypt and attempted to destroy Egyptian relationships with western powers. In 1951, following a military coup, an anti-Zionist campaign was initiated, and Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. >. They would have three children, Sophie, Irit and Shai. Eli Cohen, born in 1924, was raised in a devout Jewish family in Alexandria, Egypt. In 1957, Cohen was recruited by the Israel Defense Forces, and was placed in military intelligence, where he became a counterintelligence analyst. Eli Cohen had sacrificed everything for his people and now the badly humiliated Syrians were about to take revenge. Eli Cohen, the most famous Israeli spy, was executed by hanging on May 18, 1965. His heroic life story is part of the curriculum and many students and students choose to write works about Eli Cohen, our man in Damascus. What happens to the notes placed in the Kotel? The crowd of thousands of rowdy Syrians standing in Damascuss Marjeh (Martyrs) Square waited impatiently for the big moment. The shouting grew more thunderous as the famed spy came into view. The IDF managed to attack the facility efficiently, using tanks and planes, and destroy all Syrian equipment that was intended to divert the sources of the Jordan River, until it could not be rehabilitated. [6][16][17] What does your father do? As I steer the conversation back to her, I realize that although it has been 53 years since her husbands death, the years of sadness and pain have not dimmed her smile as she speaks about her late husband. The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) made note of where the trees were and their artillery pinpointed them in the 1967 war. You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. Rochelita Ermoza . At the same time, the Syrians began to promote plans to diversify the waters of the Jordan River in order to disrupt the regular water supply to Israel and cause a major crisis. He became a confidant of George Saif, high up in the Ministry of Information. Still, Israeli Intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. rutrum quueon tellus orci. [15] I politely decline. Cohen was released because he was not linked with the underground. Eli Cohen, publicly hanged in Al-Marjeh Square, Damascus on 18 May 1965 After a trial before a military tribunal, he was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death under 'martial law'. On his return to Damascus, at one of the new Syrian elite parties, he dubbed the contractor who was in charge of building the diversion facility. CAIRO - 18 May 2022: Four years after spying for Israel, Eli Cohen was caught by the Syrian intelligence services in one of the most famous espionage cases in the modern history of Syria. Eli's widow, Nadia, has since led the campaign.[6][9]. A monument was placed in his memory at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Now they claim that they dont even know where it is buried. On 15 May 1965, Cohen wrote in his final letter:[3], "I am begging you my dear Nadia not to spend your time in weeping about some thing already passed. He got a tour of the Syrian Golan Heights defenses and made notes of everything he saw. Cohen, for his part, brought citrus fruits and olive oil from Israel. , 16 December 1924 18 May 1965) (Arabic: ) was an Israeli spy. Born in Alexandria, Egypt to devout Zionist Jews, he eventually was forced to leave Egypt and settled in Israel in 1957. The Mossad . We have three children. Any grandchildren? We have six grandchildren, she says with pride as she points to a family photo on the wall. Cohen was interrogated, convicted in a military trial, and publicly hanged in May 1965. We were scared that Israel would send forces to take away the body. Eli Cohen and his family later moved to Israel. He would come to visit them often, and thats how we were acquainted. Can you tell me a little bit about him? I ask. Mossad agent Cohen was put on trial and executed for espionage after he successfully infiltrated the Syrian government under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet for four years. Some sources claim that he had established a good friendship with Amin al-Hafiz. Included in this was that the Syrians had constructed three lines of defense where the Israelis believed there was only one. Eli Cohen, in full Eliahu ben Shaoul Cohen, also called Kamal Amin Thaabet, (born 1924, Alexandria, Egyptdied May 18, 1965, Damascus, Syria), Egyptian-born Israeli spy who infiltrated the highest ranks of the Syrian military and government by posing as a Syrian businessman. Their deafening loud jeers didnt drown out the anti-Semitic slurs being hurled at Israels prized spy, 41-year-old Eli Cohen, who having just concluded Viduy with the chief rabbi of Damascus, Rabbi Nissim Andabo, was being led by armed Syrian soldiers to the tall gallows erected in downtown Damascus in his honor. Cohen studierte nach seinem Militrdienst an der Universitt Tel Aviv und an der Open University of Israel Wirtschaftswissenschaften. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. Nadia said: He used to sit around the house for days and nights and decipher maps. He was forty-one when he fell. Born to a Jewish family in Alexandria, Egypt, Cohen was notable for developing a close relationship with Syria's political and military elite. Two years after his immigration to Israel, Eli married his wife, Nadia, from Iraq: In 1958 we met and fell in love with him at first sight. Concentrate on yourself, looking forward for a better future! He figured things out really quickly, he really liked people, especially our nation and Judaism. Cohen was said to have been repeatedly interrogated and tortured. The trees were used as targeting markers by the Israeli military during the Six-Day War and enabled Israel to easily capture the Golan Heights in two days. For the purpose of installation and frequency reset, a nationwide wireless shutdown was decided on January 7. There was no longer anything they could do. A two-minute video posted on Syrian opposition forces social media accounts this week purportedly shows the aftermath of the 1965 execution of Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Damascus. He is best known for his espionage work in 196165 in Syria, where he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy. [22] He is featured at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.[citation needed] A memorial stone has been erected to Cohen in the Garden of the Missing Soldiers in Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. . Who was Eli Cohen? Please sit, she says, as she heads into the kitchen. In January 1965, advanced surveillance equipment for the detection of radio broadcasts arrived in Syria from the Soviet Union. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Try this at home // Home remedies that really work. Eli Cohen, also called Kamal Amin Thaabet, Egyptian-born Israeli spy who infiltrated the highest ranks of the Syrian military and government by posing as a Syrian businessman. Born in Alexandria, Egypt to devout Zionist Jews, he eventually was forced to leave Egypt and settled in Israel in 1957. View Erit Cohen results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Cohen himself was not above the spicier part of a spy's life either. Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965 (YouTube screenshot), 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 Damascus public square. He worked as a translator and an accountant before once again being recruited by Israeli intelligence in 1960. In January 1962 he traveled from Italy to Beirut on his way to Damascus, and on the deck of the ship he connected with another immigrant who had also returned to the homeland and through which he began to establish ties with the Syrian elite. 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Eli Cohens daughter Sofia Ben-Dor was excited about it because that is all they have. After his death he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. I decided the watch would remain in the Mossad. Even after more than 50 years, the Mossad didnt forget their man and tracked down the watch and the location and learned that it was for sale. Despite Cohens considerable talent for espionage, he displayed a tendency for carelessness, ignoring his Israeli handlers warnings against sending radio transmissions too frequently or always at the same time of day. After completing further training, Cohen was sent in 1961 to Buenos Aires, where he posed as an expatriate Syrian businessman. Despite the fact that the video is not new, and is included in the archives of The Associated Press, the re-publication set off a stir in Israel. diam, was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. In January 1965 Syrian counterintelligence identified his radio signal and apprehended him in the act of sending a transmission. Cohen is perhaps the Mossad's most famous deep-penetration agent. So now we have a request. I didnt know about his trip to Argentinathats where he learned about Syrian culture and began to blend in with the Syrian community. Do you rely on The Times of Israel for accurate and insightful news on Israel and the Jewish world? If passed, this judicial legislation would jeopardise the fundamental rights of all Israelis, not just minorities. Cohen received classified military briefings and was taken on tours of the Syrian fortifications in the Golan Heights. The work he received, in The Central Mashbir, gave him financial security, but he felt that another vocation awaited him. . In a brilliant move, under the guise of feeling badly for the troops sitting in open bunkers in the heat, he arranged to have trees planted, giving the troops some shade and relief from the heat. The Holocaust Memorial commemorates the approximately six million Jews who were . His own adviser, who is also the executor far from the house, is far from the family he loved, always anonymous, always under an assumed identity, and he must not be mistaken Eli Cohen was alone in Damascus, working alone, eating alone and sleeping alone. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ Cohen made his desire to return to Syria well known to his new associates, and, when he moved to Damascus in 1962, his Syrian contacts helped him access the highest circles of power in Syria. As a result, the means of locating the Soviet media experts operating in Syria managed to locate the signal that emanated from the transmitter in his apartment. Using Soviet-made tracking equipment and assisted by hired Soviet experts, a period of radio silence was observed, and it was hoped that any illegal transmissions could be identified. Nadia Cohen is the widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who spied in Syria by posing as a wealthy merchant during the early 1960s before being caught and hanged to death publicly. Diplomats, Prime Ministers, and Pope Paul VI try to intercede. Today my thirst is for knowledge. All Rights Reserved. 28 February 2023, Berlin: Eli Cohen (m), Foreign Minister of Israel, visits the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe together with Ron Prosor (r), Ambassador of Israel to Germany, and Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal (l) after a meeting with Foreign Minister Baerbock. Parents passed out sweets among their children, while lively music played. Moscow Should Prepare For Probable US Nuclear Aggression: Reports Russian Military Journal, Destroying American Monster Abrams: Pro-Russian Group Release A How-To Video, Dr. Mary E. 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[3] Cohen took part in various Israeli covert operations in the country during the 1950s, though the Egyptian government could never verify and provide proof of his involvement in Operation Goshen, an Israeli operation to smuggle Egyptian Jews out of the country and resettle them in Israel due to increasing hostility there. Details of his espionage tactics are classified and most probably will never be revealed to public. How old are you? Requests by Cohen's family for his remains to be returned to Israel have been rejected by the Syrian authorities (as of September 2012). Itzik Cohen. Memorial stone reading Eliahu (Eli) Cohen in the "Garden of the Missing Soldiers" on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The Mossad released a statement on the recovery of Cohens watch stating: After Eli Cohens execution on May 18, 1965, the wristwatch was held by an enemy state. And my dear Nadia, you are entitled to marry another man to be the father of our children, and on this subject you are completely free, I ask you not to grieve for what happened, but to look at the future, I send you last kisses. During Elis time in Egypt, prior to his emigration to Israel, he worked for the Mossad. Were you aware of this when you married him? Of course not, she says. During which they corresponded and Nadia described how Sophie, their eldest daughter, was crawling, that her teeth had grown and that she was already saying mother and father. None of his acquaintances had any idea that he was spying on behalf of the state. An Israeli intelligence agency deployed him to develop close relationships with Syrian political and military officials. Schmitt, Abram N. Shulsky, Gary J. Landia said he would be fired but would soon find another job, and after a few weeks he was admitted to the unit called The Mossad. Landia said that he had been hired for a secret factory connected to the government,Skating, photography, including microfilms, adaptations to the area and to the Arab population, the study of prayer, the Koran and the customs of Islam, a visit to the mosques and the adoption of the Syrian dialect. lorem ipsum dolor s In January 1947, he chose to enlist in the Egyptian Army as an alternative to paying the prescribed sum all young Jews were supposed to pay, but was declared ineligible on grounds of questionable loyalty. The unit bombed American and British installations expecting that this would be considered the work of Egyptians. Eli Cohen, publicly hanged in Al-Marjeh Square, Damascus on 18 May 1965, After a trial before a military tribunal, he was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death under 'martial law'. He's a trusted friend. Eli Cohen, publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square, Damascus, on 18 May 1965 Cohen was found guilty of espionage by a military tribunal and sentenced to death under martial law. During those years, Nadia alone raised their three children. Can you share your story with me? I request. He made an effort to see maps of tiny buildings and some of them to build mosques, buildings, soccer fields, and basketball courts. Eli Cohen was an Israeli spy in Damascus whose efforts led to the saving of countless Israeli lives in the 1960's. Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen (1924-1965) is best known for his espionage work in. 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 after a trial, two of the group's members received the death penalty. Screenshot from footage showing Israeli spy Eli Cohen placed in a coffin after his execution by hanging in Damascus, Syria on May 18, 1965. To establish his cover, Cohen moved to Argentina in 1961. Cohens widow Nadia spoke about the recovery of his watch, a few months ago, the Mossad shared with us that they had tracked down the watch, which was on sale. The Syrians were aware of a mole inside their government. Incorrect password. He was a legend, I declare. Avraham; 7 episodios 2021-2022 7 episodios 2021-2022. Like Eli, I was a member of Israeli Intelligence, a Mossad agent, now retired. Catherine Perez- Shakdam Infiltrated the Iranian Regime and Met the Ayatollah // One Jewish womans journey into the terror state, Growing from History // The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and Nazi collaborators became an award-winning Israeli winemaker, Still A Mother // Her own loss drove her to find healing for others, A Chance Meeting // Outrunning a storm but not a friendship. She emerges moments later, holding a tray with glasses of water. it amet, consectetur iuung elit, sed do eiusmod tempor inc Using the alias Kamal Amin Thaabet, Cohen made numerous contacts in the Syrian expatriate community in Argentina and soon gained the trust of senior officials working in the Syrian embassy there. She even appealed to the Soviet Union. Between 1961 and 1965 Cohen passed Syrian secrets to the Israeli government in what is remembered as one of the most daring and productive intelligence-gathering operations in Israeli history. Survived by Raya Nadia, three children Sophie, Irit and Shai; Mother Sophia, and seven brothers and sisters Odette, Morris, Ezra, Sarah, Zion Ephraim and Abraham. Receiving his primary education at a local Jewish community school, Eli nevertheless considered himself a patriot of Egypt, the country in which he was born. Kamel Thabet, who is Eli Cohen, From his point of view, he moved to the circle of decision-makers in Syria, and during his years of service, Eli handed over to his operators over 100 telegrams containing highly important information about Israels security. For the next two years, he worked as a filing clerk in a Tel Aviv insurance office, and married Nadia Majald, an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant, in 1959. Eli, who would feign intoxication, remained sober and listened carefully." Using the alias Kamal Amin Thaabet, Cohen made numerous contacts in the Syrian expatriate community in Argentina and soon gained the trust of senior officials working in the Syrian embassy there. Despite the gravity of the state crime committed by Cohen against Syria, the authorities still allowed him to communicate letters with his wife, children and parents, while in prison. Beyond that, he had no involvement in their activities. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to. We dont know where, in what place, in what country.
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