. After completing further training, Cohen was sent in 1961 to Buenos Aires, where he posed as an expatriate Syrian businessman. 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. His name has been immortalized in numerous institutions and sites throughout the country: streets, buildings, synagogues, libraries, learning centers, parks and groves. 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. In January 1965, Syrian efforts to find a high-level mole were stepped up. List of battleships of the United States Navy. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eli-Cohen, Jewish Virtual Library - Biography of Eli Cohen. , , Receive my blessings to all of you. [7] [9] Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute 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. Eli was sent to engage in secret missions. 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved. What was Eli like? He was a very happy person, very smart. She discusses what the experience may tell us about Jewish obligation, history and dignity. After the Sinai Campaign in 1956, mass arrests of Jews were carried out in Egypt, and Eli was arrested for fear of revealing the secret of his visit to Israel and the course he had undergone in Israel, but when he arrived at the police station it became clear that the Egyptian authorities arrested thousands of Jews Without investigation, and he found himself with a large group of Jews in a detention camp. How many children do you have? I ask. In the years following the creation of Israel, many Jewish families left Egypt. Following the Suez Crisis, the Egyptian government stepped up persecution of Jews and expelled many of them. After all, this is her lifes story. After completing further training, Cohen was sent in 1961 to Buenos Aires, where he posed as an expatriate Syrian businessman. He took an active part in a student protest against anti-Semitism. It was not long before I saw him as a life partner. At the beginning of September 1964, he was formally appointed to the rank of Major, and was one of the most tense periods in the history of the Syrian-Israeli and Arab-Israeli conflict. For the information he gave me about the new tanks, planes and cannonsAcquired by the Syrians and the deployment of the army in the Golan, had a decisive influence on Israels victory in the northern arena in the Six-Day War, two years after his death. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. . Eli Cohens daughter Sofia Ben-Dor was excited about it because that is all they have. The intelligence conveyed to Israel during that period was credited by then-prime minister Levi Eshkol with greatly assisting Israels victory during the Six Day War. The IDF succeeded in thwarting this plot, thanks to the information it provided me. Eli Cohen, for his part, replied: I am not a traitor, I am an emissary. What is your country, Israel, you are Egyptian, your country is Egypt, the judge said. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to. We were scared that Israel would send forces to take away the body. diam, was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield opened her Riverdale home to a family of Ukrainian refugees. Cohen was released because he was not linked with the underground. We dont know where, in what place, in what country. Born in Alexandria, Egypt to devout Zionist Jews, he eventually was forced to leave Egypt and settled in Israel in 1957. Eli Cohen was born in Egypt in a Jewish family. [3] His most famous achievement was when he toured the Golan Heights, and collected intelligence on the Syrian fortifications there. Some sources claim that he had established a good friendship with Amin al-Hafiz. The Exodus: Those Left Behind // As the exodus from Brooklyn continues, what is happening to the communities and people who remain? Cohen is perhaps the Mossad's most famous deep-penetration agent. [1], In 2005, he was voted the 26th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis. Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. February 27, 2023 By scottish gaelic translator By scottish gaelic translator Apparently, the woman that had the watch after Cohens arrest and execution wanted to sell it. [12] After Hafiz became Prime Minister, Cohen may even have been considered for the position of Syrian Deputy Minister of Defense,[13] although Hafiz's secretary has denied that this was the case. His heritageof dedication, determination. 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. # - " " - ! Eli Cohen s el nom dels segents personatges: . Who was Eli Cohen? His graduate report stated that he had all the qualities needed to become a katsa, or field agent. His fluency in Arabic, English, and French made him an attractive recruit for Israeli intelligence. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ , This one may not rate up there with some of the other coups that Mossad has pulled off, like the incredible stealing of, Cohen was an Israeli spy who was initially rejected by Mossad. [14], After establishing good relations with Syrian elite, Cohen embarked on the next stage - building strong confidence with many Syrian military and government officials. The grave was moved after a day or two, Monjer Motsley said in an interview. 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. Screenshot from footage showing Israeli spy Eli Cohen placed in a coffin after his execution by hanging in Damascus, Syria on May 18, 1965. 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. 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. , 16 December 1924 18 May 1965) (Arabic: ) was an Israeli spy. The Mossad . The coups leader, Amin al-Hafez, continued to favour Cohen, and he reportedly considered appointing him deputy minister of defense. Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen, Irit Cohen: Siblings: Maurice Cohen, Abraham Cohen: Star Sign: Sagittarius # Fact; 1: Father of Kaipu Cohen: Actor . 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. 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. They would have three children, Sophie, Irit and Shai. The memories she retains are fresh and vivid, as if the events she describes in great detail occurred yesterday. 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. [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. # . (2002). Beyond that, he had no involvement in their activities. On This Date in 1962, Nazi War Criminal Adolf Eichmann Hanged in Israel, PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. Eli, who would feign intoxication, remained sober and listened carefully." I want the inside story of a legendary tale and Im confident that Im about to hear it. 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. Eli Cohen, Israel's most famous spy, also happened to be a hopeless romantic. [19] Elis brother was married to our neighbors sister. He wanted to come all his life. The coups leader, Amin al-Hafez, continued to favour Cohen, and he reportedly considered appointing him deputy minister of defense. "The complete trust Cohen enjoyed among his unwitting informants is illustrated by the following incident, which might have had serious consequences for Cohen. Diplomats, Prime Ministers, and Pope Paul VI try to intercede. Wed, 18 May 2022 - 12:49 GMT. The website www.elicohen.org.il provides extensive information about Eli Cohens heritage and the love of Israel. 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. The trial of Eli Cohen (left), Damascus, 1965 - AFP. Updates? 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Photos of Eli Cohen can be seen all over the house, his dark soulful eyes beaming out from each snapshot.