Eli Cohen

The definition of a hero can be different, depending on the people you ask. Some might say that a hero's necessary attributes are wisdom and strength, and others might say that compassion and courage are more necessary. In my opinion, a hero is a person who can risk his life and sacrifice parts of it (or sometimes all of it) for the right cause, and to help and inspire others.

My hero is Eli Cohen, who was an Israeli spy. He was born on the 6th of December 1924, in Alexandria, Egypt, to parents who were Zionist (supporting the creation of Israel), Jewish Syrians. He studied at a Jewish high school, and later started studying engineering at the university. In 1949, Cohen's family moved to the newly created state of Israel, but he stayed in Egypt until 1957. At that time, he was expelled from Egypt because of a war between Egypt and Israel called the Suez Crisis. In 1959, when he was already in Israel, he married Nadia Majald, a Jewish Iraqi woman, and they lived in the city of Bat Yam and eventually had three children. Cohen worked as an accountant for about two years until May of 1960, when he was recruited by the Israeli Intelligence Services, who were looking for a spy who could infiltrate the government in Syria, which was one of Israel's greatest enemies. Cohen's Arabic origins made him suitable for the mission. After he received the necessary training, he was given a false identity of a Syrian businessman. He was first sent to Buenos Aires, Argentina by himself, where he got known and respected by high-placed Syrians in the area. He came back for a visit in Israel, to be with his wife, Nadia, and his newborn daughter, Sophie, as well as to prepare for his mission in Syria. Cohen arrived in Damascus, Syria in February 1962, while his wife stayed in Israel, knowing no information about his mission or how dangerous it was. While in Damascus, he built relations with high-ranked people, and continued the same social life as he had in Argentina. Both of these things were used to gather intelligence. He provided an incredible amount of useful information over the course of about three years, and came back to visit his family two more times.

On January 1965, the Syrians started searching for the spy who was leaking their secrets to Israel. By using special equipment, they were able to locate a transmission coming from Cohen's apartment, and they broke into it and caught him while he was transmitting to Israel. He was arrested and tortured until he underwent a trial where he was sentenced to death. Cohen was hanged in public on the 18th of May 1965. This shocked his family, as Nadia was told that he will be safe. She, as well as the Israeli government, has been trying to convince the Syrians to give Eli's remains back to Israel, but they have not yet agreed to do so.

I consider Eli Cohen a hero because of his courage and the sacrifice he made for his country. He left his family and risked his life, and was eventually killed, all for the cause of providing intelligence to Israel. This intelligence was extremely beneficial for Israel, as it is said that it considerably improved the Israeli Intelligence and even made Israel more prepared for the Six-Day War which came two years after Cohen's death.

I personally feel sorry for his family's huge loss and his death, especially after the great service he gave Israel, and I think that their recovery from that shocking loss is incredible. Today in Israel, Eli Cohen is known as a hero, and you can find streets dedicated to him and his sacrifice in almost every city. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest Israeli heroes of all time.