Born Country:- Iraq Wife/Husband/Ex:- Eli Cohen (m. 1959-1965) Children:- Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen 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. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to Israel in 1957. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen heads to Germany Tuesday as part of Israel's campaign to halt Iran's . Recruitment into the Mossad. The text messages between Khalid and the NZSIS. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. The three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. they let him see fortification and the bunkers, weapon concentrated in the area, and their offensive plans.l lieutenant Zaher Al-Din took Eli to the El Hama military camp, where large quantities of new weapons had been stored. "It was all for good intentions. Eli married Iraqi Jewish Nadia Majald, sister of Hebrew author Sami Michael, in 1959. Cohen accepted the calling. Were they not interested? It takes just a few seconds. I think as long as Bashar Assad is in power I dont see the word progress,' she said, referring to Syrias dictator. His training was extensive and exhaustive. This article was originally published in May 2005 and republished to coincide with the release of "The Spy" - a Netflix series about Eli Cohen's life. Fortunately, several were easy to spot, for they . According to Scheffeldt, Cohen and al-Gamal were arrested together in 1954 and released shortly after. By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. The agency concluded that Cohen had a high IQ, great bravery, a phenomenal memory, and the ability to keep a secret; but the tests also showed that in spite of his modest appearance, he has an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and a lot of internal tension. Cohen, the results indicated, does not always evaluate danger correctly, and is liable to assume risks beyond those which are necessary.. She had no idea about Elis secret mission and thus did not see the threats and risks involved. Learn more. [9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. He then left the university and continued his studies at home. He was convicted in a trial without a defense and sentenced to death. According to an unconfirmed but widely believed story, he feigned sympathy for the soldiers exposed to the sun and had trees planted at every position, placed to provide shade. 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. I don't want to go to my death longing for my Eli to rest in the soil of the land that he loved and for which he gave his life. Once Cohen had established his background, he was inserted into the "target country," Syria, and operated with great success for four years until his capture. "Suddenly something changed there toward us. Periodically Eli would return to Israel to speak with his Israeli handlers and visit his wife and small children. Before he was executed, Cohen met with a rabbi, as per his request, and sent his wife a letter. 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. It went wrong, really wrong," he said. In November that year, Nadia, wrote to Syrian politician and former president of Syria (19712000) Hafez al-Assad, asking him to forgive Eli and requesting him to hand over her husbands remains. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to Israel. It doesnt fit our story but I understand the situation. His wife, Nadia, would be left a widow with three very young children. What is perhaps most amazing about Eli Cohen is that he was genuinely liked even loved by so many of the top Syrian leaders. On 29 December 2022, Cohen was sworn in as Foreign Minister alongside a new government, and will rotate the position with Israel Katz. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. The execution was recorded on 35mm film. This week, KAN 11 began broadcasting a documentary series "Lochem 566," (Fighter 566, Cohen's Mossad codename). The Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, plans to name one of the buildings in its compound after Eli Cohen - its spy in Syria who was caught in Damascus, tried, convicted and executed 40 years ago. In January 1965, Syrian security officers broke into Elis apartment while he was in the middle of his escape to Israel. According to Scheffeldt, al-Gamal wrote in his memoirs of his friendship with Marcelle Ninio, who was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in the Jewish Underground, and also about Eli Cohen. Eli seemed to have completed the final stage in establishing his network. References ^ Eli Cohen Knesset ^ Eli Cohen Ministry of Economy and Industry ^ Kulanu list Central Elections Committee [5], His parents and three brothers left for Israel in 1949, but he remained to finish a degree in electronics and coordinate Jewish and Zionist activities. And much of the credit for Israels ability to capture the Golan was due to Eli Cohen, Israels greatest spy. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. While undercover in Argentina in The Spy, Cohen struggles to resist drafting her notes, even if it puts him in danger. Haaretz.com, the online English edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, gives you breaking news, analyses and opinions about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. Syria brought hydraulic engineers and diversion equipment to actualize the scheme. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. 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. Despite being away from home for months at a time, he fathered three children, Sophie, Irit and Shai. Cohen established his contact quickly, his letter of recommendation opened the gates to high society. Thus, he wished to terminate his assignment in Syria. I give you my blessing. "I am the son of the only person on this planet who knows where the remains are buried," he told Newshub in an interview. 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). In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. Eli Cohen's son, Shaul, was only 2 weeks old when he last saw his father. They had three children, Sophie, Irit, and Shai. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. Saif calmly replied, Theres nothing to worry about. Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. 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. Nadia and Eli Cohen pictured in the 1960s The 41-year-old was brutally hanged in Marjeh Square in Damascus in front of a crowd of 10,000 people, in May 1965 - and despite his last request to have his body returned to Israel, the Syrian authorities have to this day never disclosed the whereabouts of his remains. Since then, Nadia has always counted on him. [11] Start with Mossad [ edit] To no avail. One of the ministrys directors entered the room unannounced. The newly appointed Syrian intelligence colonel, Ahmed Su'edani, disliked Eli. After the Israel Independence War In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. Eli's handlers were continually persuading him to return. Instead, he joined the Egyptian merchant marine and was involved in a number of scams, which resulted in his arrest by the Egyptian secret service in 1952. [8] His most famous achievement was the tour of the Golan Heights in which he collected intelligence on the Syrian fortifications there. The Syrians have consistently refused to do so. He was tortured, but he wouldnt give away any incriminating information about Israel. He was interrogated and tortured. they let him see fortification and the bunkers, weapon concentrated in the area, and their offensive plans.l lieutenant. "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. But it . The Golan is not only important for its military significance. In 1961, Eli was sent to Buenos Aires in the guise of a Syrian textile businessman. Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Defense Minister Ezer Weizmann, Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, and several Mossad operatives all attended his son's Bar Mitzvah in 1977. On May 18, 1965, Eli was publicly hanged at the Marjeh Square in Damascus, Syria. [22], It is claimed that the intelligence that Cohen gathered before his arrest was an important factor in Israel's success in the Six-Day War,[23] although some intelligence experts have argued that the information he provided about the Golan Heights fortifications was also readily available from ground and aerial reconnaissance. His work bored him and he attempted to join the Mossad, but he was offended when the Mossad rejected him, and he resigned from military counter-intelligence. they carry out several bombings in Cairo and Alexandria, targeting libraries and cultural centers, cinemas, post offices. There he met members of the Jewish Underground, handled by Unit 131 of Israel's Military Intelligence, which was exposed by the Egyptians in 1954. On the day of his execution, his last wish to see a rabbi was respected by the prison authorities, and Nissim Indibo, the elderly Chief Rabbi of Syria, accompanied him in the truck. "I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has past," his final letter read. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. For more than 50 years, Nadia has fought to have her husbands body returned to Israel. He returned home to his family only a few times during his mission. From 1948 until 1967, Syria firing mortar shells from the Syrian occupied Golan Heights into the Jewish settlements of the Upper Galilee below.
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