Community Magazine July 2019

SIVAN - AV 5779 JULY 2019 57 things to come, a dress rehearsal for future undercover work that would become increasingly more complicated, and definitely more dangerous. Throughout the decade, Cohen, armed with specialized espionage training, played various roles in covert operations for Israel, including a mission dubbed Operation Goshen, a plan that helped smuggle out Egyptian Jews so they could forge a new life in Israel. Even though Egyptian officials had a sense he was working against their interest, they had no hard proof. The ensuing warfare between Egypt and Israel didn’t do the Jewish community many favors, either. By October 1956, the second Arab-Israeli war broke out, known both as the Suez Crisis, or Operation Kadesh, in which Israel, the United Kingdom, and France aimed to oust Egyptian dictator Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had by that time cozied up to the Soviet communists. During this conflict, Israel achieved its important objective – securing its shipping rights through the Straits of Tiran, which had been blocked by Egypt since 1950. Trade by waterways constituted about one-fifth of Israel’s commerce, something it could ill-afford to lose. These events gave rise to another wave of anti-Semitism, more pretexts for government-sanctioned persecution, and the expulsion of Egyptian Jews. And this time, the authorities took action against Cohen, who was forced to leave. Availing himself of the aid of the Jewish Agency, Cohen landed in the port of Haifa in 1957, and officially immigrated to Israel. Soon afterward, he stepped up to serve his new country, in the capacity of an army officer. But both his attempts to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces met with rejection, despite his well-known record of prior courageous feats. Cohen clearly had all the traits you would want in a soldier – an impressive IQ, fearlessness, superb memory retention, and the capability to keep important secrets under wraps. The problem? Apparently, higher ups found him arrogant and prone to taking unnecessary risks – qualities which would make him a liability, rather than an asset, in combat. His public service was relegated to the level of a logistics clerk. Later, he found work at an accounting firm. Training a Superspy But his lifewould very quickly change. A director at theMossad – Israel’s secret service – stumbled upon Cohen’s file in a stack of files of rejected candidates. General Meir Amit had been seeking an individual capable of infiltrating the inner circle of the Syrian government, and eyed Cohen as the worthiest candidate. Cohen came under careful surveillance for two weeks, his every move closelywatched and examinedwith the aimof determiningwhether he qualified for recruitment and training. He was, after all, perfect for the job – a native of an Arab country, fluent in Arabic, English, and French, well acquainted with Arabic culture, and experienced doing exceptional espionage work. The stars aligned; Cohen was let go from his job, he took the Mossad’s offer, and at age 29, he proceeded to train to be a katsa , or field agent. He demonstrated sharp abilities in all areas of training, which included high speed evasive driving techniques, weapons training, intricate map reading, sabotage, and coded messaging. What took particularly intense work was to learn how to speak a new dialect of Arabic – Syrian-Arabic, and eliminate his Egyptian accent. It took Cohen a great deal of time and effort to develop the skill to consciously, and intuitively, speak as a Syrian. He was trained by an Iraqi native, a Jew whose specialty was differentiations in Arabic language and dialects (of which there are dozens). Eli Cohen officially became a spy in early 1961, when a formal document was stamped and signed by none other than Chaim Herzog, then Chief of Military Intelligence, who would eventually become Israel’s president (1982-1993). First Stop: Argentina Cohen was first stationed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, assigned the mission of establishing his cover as a Syrian businessman. In no time he managed to immerse himself in the social and cultural life of the Argentine-Syrian diaspora, a community that was all too quick to embrace his phony disguise as a well-to-do entrepreneur. It helped that he enjoyed a good party, soaked in the night life, tipped generously, and connected with strangers easily. The plan worked to perfection. Elites such as politicians, diplomats, and bureaucrats came to befriend this affable and congenial fellow, whom they came to deeply respect as a trusted confidant. The biggest catch, at least for a neophyte spy, was building a close network with military officials working out of the Syrian Embassy – including Colonel Amin al-Hafiz, who would later serve as Syria’s president, from 1963 to 1966. The new socialite bobbed and weaved between cafes and restaurants, eavesdropping or prodding the political gossip of the day. By night, he was the most gracious host, inviting Syrian officials and the country’s business leaders to his home for lavish food and drink, where shop talk flowed as freely as the alcohol. Trust levels reached the point where Cohen would often serve as a sounding board or advice-giver to his newfound pals’ work problems. He even built a close bond with the Chief Adviser to the Syrian Minister of Defense. Other government officials with whom he developed relationships were said to have borrowed money from Cohen, earning him invitations to open various business ventures in Damascus in the hope of loading the homeland with rich, foreign investment. Cohen was at the center of it all, the man about town, with networks in all the right places, and with a reputation for wealth, power, and style. But it was only the beginning. What came next would put his espionage skills to the test. Part 2 of “Saluting Eli Cohen, an Israeli Hero” will appear in the August issue of Community. Superspy Eli Cohen