In 1963, during a business trip to Germany, he met Weltrude Scheffeldt, a divorcee, then 22 and with a small child, and married her. 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Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. Everybody has secrets, but Eli Cohen, the Israeli spy hanged in Damascus in May 1965, had more secrets than most . From 1961 to 1965, Eli transmitted crucial intelligence data, including that of the Golan Heights, to the Israeli army. Abdel Latif Hassan immediately wrote four letters one to his brother-in-law, two to friends in Beirut, and fourth to his son in Damascus. Military Stories site will provide you the latest News related to military. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. Nadia, who is fighting to return her husbands remains to Israel, said I would kiss and hug all of this production if thats what would bring Eli to me. Incidentally, the Mossad was recently able to retrieve her husbands watch and return it to her. On 18 May 1965, Eli cohen was woken by the jailer and fastened the noose, and hang up, the huge poster was fastened on his chest where his sentence was written in Arabic.Even today Syria refuses to return his body for burial in Israel. The execution was recorded on 35mm film. Eli Cohenarrived in Buenos Aires and checked into a hotel .a local teacher would get in touch with him and teach him the Spanish language. 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. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. The goal was to gather intelligence from high-ranking Syrian politicians and military officials. The actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a childhood memory: In his family's living room in London, there sat a book called Our Man in Damascus. [13][14] In Buenos Aires he moved among the Arab community, letting it be known he had large amounts of money to put at the disposal of the Syrian Ba'ath Party. Eli Cohen was the man for the job. In the name of the Syrian Arab people, The Military court has decided in its meeting which was held on Muharram 7th, 1385 - May 8th, 1965 to sentence Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen, a resident of Tel Aviv in Occupied Palestine, to death for committing the following crimes: The crime of disguised entry into a military location. [5] He studied at Cairo Farouk University. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. Nadia Cohen attempted to appeal for clemency at the Syrian Embassy in Paris but was turned away. [4], Cohen provided an extensive amount and wide range of intelligence data for the Israeli Army between 1961 and 1965. 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. At this time the Ba'ath Party was illegal in Syria but the party seized power in 1963. Cohen expressed fear of discovery to the Mossad on his last secret visit to Israel in November 1964, and he stated that he wished to terminate his assignment in Syria. Its unfamiliar to me, this form of expression in a global television series. [15], Cohen moved to Damascus in February 1962 under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet (Arabic: ). Los sueos se acrecentaron cuando conoci a Eli Cohen, 11 aos mayor que ella, que la impact de inmediato. Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, Defense Minister Ezer Weizmann, and many Mossad officials attended Eli's son's bar mitzvah in 1977. Help JNS grow! We are trying to open this up to make . 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. Asked to pinpoint what she found not to be reflective of her familys experience, Ben-Dor cited the ethnic gap, noting her mother was never a maid as was portrayed in the series. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. In December 2025, the two will swap roles again. Despite this, however, Israeli intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. [9], Cohen continued his social life as he had in Argentina, spending time in cafes listening to political gossip. Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen (Hebrew: , Arabic: ; 6 December 1924 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. Cohen was born and raised in Egypt and was expelled to Israel in 1956. Scheffeldt, 63, is the widow of Rifa'at al-Gamal, an Egyptian spy who reportedly operated in Israel for a number of years. They knew of his. After the Israel Independence War In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. one evening he met one gentleman, Abdel Latif Hassan, editor in chief of Arab world magazine publish in Argentina. [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. Eliyahu BenShaul Cohen (Hebrew , Arabic 26 December 1924 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Israeli spy. The trial of Eli Cohen (left), Damascus, 1965 - AFP. Prior to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. Elie Cohen Eli Wallach Yacov Sasson Gabay General Haled (as Sason Gabay) Michal Bat-Adam Nadia Cohen Rami Danon Avram Chaim Jeraffi Salloum (as Haim Girafi) Jacques Cohen Assan (as Jack Cohen) Anat Barzilai Galela (as Anat Barzilay) Yossi Keinan Nassim (as Yossi Kenan) Yehudit Millo Madame Massim (as Judith Millo) Victor Kamar Major Massim Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. Already a member? While Eli Cohen was never revealed to Nadia that he worked as a spy, she was not fully unaware of it. He merited that the entire country would know him well and maintain his legacy. . 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. edit. Two of them were Abraham and Maurice. 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. In 1963, during a business trip to Germany, he met Weltrude Scheffeldt, a divorcee, then 22 and with a small child, and married her. In 1957, Nadias future husband Eli Cohen emigrated from Egypt to Israel, where his brother and his wife lived. Incorrect password. We toured the area in the Golan Heights, noticed the surroundings with visible bunkers, and tanks decorating the children's playground. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. Israeli spy who was captured and executed in Syria, that enabled them to destroy the equipment prepared for the task, "Israel's Secret Operation to Recover the Watch of a Legendary Spy", "Rumors fly that body of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen was found", "Eli Cohen, notre agent "top secret" Damas", "Mossad's master of deception: the astounding true story of Israeli super-spy Eli Cohen", Widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen: Netflix drama 'raises my blood pressure', "Unending agony for legendary spy Eli Cohen and his widow", "Israel's secret war against Hitler's scientists", "The History of Elie Cohen: An Egyptian Jew who became Israel's greatest spy", "Will Israel's superspy finally rest in peace? [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. 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