Israel's Most Famous Spy, Eli Cohen, A Mizrachi Syrian Jew

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

Eli Cohen: The most famous Israeli spy. He infiltrated the highest levels of the Syrian government in the early 1960s under the alias Kamal Amin Thaabet, providing critical intelligence before he was caught and publicly hanged in Damascus in 1965.  He was born on December 6, 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt and died May 18, 1965 at age 40 years in Al Marjeh Square, Damascus, Syria.  His wife was Nadia Cohen.  They married in 1959.  Nadia Majald (born c. 1935), an Iraqi-born Jew, also a Mizrachi Jew with whom he would have three children (Sophie, Irit, and Shai) after settling down in Bat Yam. Through this marriage:

Cohen became the brother-in-law of Israeli author Sami Michael. Sami Michael was an Iraqi-Israeli author, having migrated from Iraq to Israel at the age of 23. From 2001, Michael was the President of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel. Michael was among the first in Israel to call for the creation of an independent Palestinian state to exist alongside the state of Israel. (I see a debate developing).  

Historical Israeli spies have included legendary deep-cover operatives, atomic and industrial espionage agents, and master planners who worked for Mossad and other intelligence branches to secure the nation.

Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. He is best known for his espionage work in Syria between 1961 where he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy.  Cohen infiltrated the Syrian government in the 1960s. Born in Egypt to Syrian Jewish parents, he applied his language skills to pretend to be businessman Kamel Amin Thaabet. He befriended top politicians and military leaders in Damascus. He was caught and hanged, but only after gaining intelligence on Golan Heights defenses that proved crucial in the June 1967 war.

Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to a Syrian-Jewish family. That would be a Mizrachi family;  not Ashkenazi nor Sephardic.  It is probably the smallest of the 3 groupings.   His father had immigrated from Aleppo, Syria in the Ottoman Empire in 1914. 

Deeply committed to Judaism, Cohen had planned in his youth to become a rabbi with guidance from Alexandria's Chief Rabbi Moise Ventura  but the city's yeshiva soon closed down, prompting him to pursue higher education at Cairo University.   

A staunch Zionist, he helped Israel evacuate the Egyptian Jewish community by assisting Israeli intelligence throughout Egypt. He was also fluent in five languages: Arabic, Hebrew, English, French, and Spanish.

At the onset of the Jewish exodus from the Muslim world, which began concurrently with the Arab–Israeli conflict of Israel's birth on May 14, 1948.   Egypt's defeat in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War deeply discredited King Farouk and the ruling political elite. Cohen's parents and three brothers immigrated to Israel in 1949 at age 25, but he stayed behind in Egypt to complete his degree and also to help consolidate Zionist efforts among Egypt's Jewish community.

 Prior to the 1952 Egyptian revolution, which began on July 23, 1952, when the Free Officers Movement—led by Mohamed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser—overthrew King Farouk in a largely bloodless military coup. The movement ended the constitutional monarchy, established a republic, and removed British military influence. Cohen was arrested and interrogated by Egyptian authorities, who were becoming suspicious of his activities.

In January 1965, Syrian officials, who used Soviet-made tracking equipment and were assisted by Soviet experts, increased their efforts to find a high-level spy. They observed a period of radio silence, in the hope that any illegal transmissions could be identified. They successfully detected radio transmissions and were able to triangulate the transmitter. Syrian security services led by Suidani broke into Cohen's apartment on 24 January and claimed to have caught him in the middle of a transmission to Israel.

Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade Syria not to execute him. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. Diplomats, prime ministers, parliamentarians, and Pope Paul VI tried to intercede. Meir even appealed to the Soviet Union. The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence, but the Syrians refused. Nadia Cohen attempted to appeal for clemency at the Syrian Embassy in Paris but was turned away. Cohen wrote in his final letter on 15 May 1965:

I am begging you, my dear Nadia, not to spend your time in weeping about something already passed. Concentrate on yourself, looking forward for a better future!                                

In 2016, a Syrian group calling itself "Syrian art treasures" posted a video on Facebook showing Cohen's body after his execution. No film or video was previously known to exist of the execution. The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to obtain it Mossad director Yossi Cohen presented it to Cohen's family in a ceremony, and it is currently on display at Mossad headquarters. 

Cohen is regarded as a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighbourhoods have been named after him. 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. A memorial stone has been erected to Cohen in the Garden of the Missing Soldiers in Mount Herzl, Jerusalem.

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Cohen

 and 1965, where he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy.

World Series Pitcher: Sandy Koufax

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                                

Sanford Koufax, nicknamed "the Left Arm of God", is an American former professional baseball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers of all time, he played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966.

October 6, 1965. The World Series. The whole country tuning in to watch the most dominant pitcher in baseball. And Sandy Koufax wasn't there.

It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, and Koufax made a choice that had nothing to do with baseball and everything to do with who he was. He sat out Game 1, letting his teammate Don Drysdale take the mound instead. When manager Walter Alston pulled a struggling Drysdale from that game, Drysdale famously cracked, "I bet right now you wish I was Jewish, too."

Koufax didn't do it for headlines. He did it quietly, without fanfare, because it was simply right. In an era when Jewish athletes were stereotyped as weak, Koufax stood tall by standing down. He went on to pitch a shutout in Game 5 and a three hit gem in Game 7 on just two days' rest, leading the Dodgers to the championship and earning World Series MVP. But it's that empty mound in Game 1 America remembers.

Koufax with the 1954 University of Cincinnati baseball team (left; top row, 5th from the left) at age 19.

Koufax was born Sanford Braun to a Jewish family on December 30, 1935, in Borough Park, Brooklyn. His parents, Evelyn (née Lichtenstein) and Jack Braun, divorced when he was three years old. The son of a single working parent, he spent most of his childhood with his maternal grandparents and spent his summers at Camp Chi-Wan-Da, a Jewish summer camp in Ulster Park, New York, where his mother worked as a bookkeeper.

Evelyn, a certified public accountant, remarried when her son was nine to Irving Koufax, an attorney, whose name Sandy took. Koufax also gained a stepsister, Edith, Irving's daughter from a previous marriage. Shortly afterwards, the family moved to the Long Island suburb of Rockville Centre. They moved back to Brooklyn in June 1949, the day after Koufax graduated from ninth grade, settling in the neighborhood of Bensonhurst.

Years go by.  Walter Alston was the long-time manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers who guided Sandy Koufax through his entire Hall of Fame major-league career.

Notably, teammates Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella both clashed with Alston on Koufax's usage, noting the young pitcher's talent and objecting to him being benched for weeks at a time. Pitcher Don Newcombe stated years later that Koufax faced antisemitism as a young pitcher from white players on the team who shunned him and used antisemitic slurs when referring to him. This led to black teammates rallying to Koufax's defense and supporting him during his early years.

 Koufax was 6'2" and weighed in at 210 lbs. Sanford Koufax, was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1955-1957) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-1966). Did you know that Sandy, his nickname, was the youngest player ever inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame (36 years, 20 days / #2 - Lou Gehrig, 36 years, 172 days), the first pitcher to ever throw four no-hitters, and one of only three pitchers (the other two are Walter Johnson & Grover Alexander) in baseball history to win the Triple Crown of Pitching (leading the league in wins, strikeouts and earned run average) three times?

Koufax and teammate Don Drysdale changing parts on a military truck at the US Army Reserve Center in Van Nuys, California

Koufax, along with fellow Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale, served in the United States Army Reserve for two years, from 1957 to 1959. He was often stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, during the offseason..

Clinching the pennant on September 27, the Dodgers faced the heavily favored New York Yankees in the 1963 World Series. In Game 1, Koufax beat Whitey Ford 5–2. He struck out the first five batters and 15 overall, breaking Carl Erskine's decade-old record of 14. The Dodgers won Games 2 and 3 behind the pitching of Johnny Podres, Ron Perranoski, and Don Drysdale. Koufax completed the Dodgers' series sweep in Game 4 with a 2–1 victory over Ford; the only run he allowed was a home run by Mickey Mantle.  During the series, Koufax struck out 23 batters in 18 innings, a record for a four-game World Series, and had a 2–0 record with an earned run average of 1.50; for his performance, he was awarded the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.Koufax is considered one of the greatest big game pitchers in baseball history.  I have only touched on a little of his life. 

Resource:  

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Koufax

most. Sometimes the greatest act of courage isn't throwing the pitch. It's knowing when not to.

Lebanon: Land Of Three Religions And Failing Government, Why? Today's Position

 Nadene Goldfoot                                     

  Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government February 26, 2025                                                 

                                Arafat in 1979


First, it was the PLO.  Let's not forget Arafat and his position in this study., Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) directed armed attacks against Israel primarily from Jordan (1968–1971) and subsequently from Lebanon (1971–1982) before relocating their headquarters to Tunisia.  Jordan (1968–1971): Following the 1967 Six-Day War, Fatah and the PLO used Jordanian territory;  and finally Lebanon (1971–1982): Displaced from Jordan, Arafat established a major operational base and quasi-state structure in southern and western Lebanon. From Lebanese soil, the PLO conducted rocket fire, cross-border infiltrations, and international operations .

 First, Lebanon was an open-minded modern thinking country making room for three religions to cooperate together in their government.

  

Bachir Gemayel was a prominent Lebanese Maronite militia commander, leader of the Lebanese Forces, and President-elect of Lebanon in 1982 who famously developed a  strategic and military alliance with Israel during the Lebanese Civil War and

 Major Saad Haddad, the founder and commander of the South Lebanon Army (though he was Greek-Catholic rather than Maronite.  When he died, Israel took care of his daughter . and eventually graduated with a master's degree in aeronautics from the Technion in Haifa.

Core Power-Sharing Structure

President: Always a Maronite Christian.
Prime Minister: Always a Sunni Muslim.
Speaker of Parliament: Always a Shia Muslim.
Parliament & Cabinet: Seats and ministerial posts are split equally (50-50) between Christians and Muslims, and further subdivided proportionally based on the specific sizes of the recognized sects. 

Legal and Social Organization

18 Recognized Sects: The state legally recognizes 18 distinct Christian, Muslim, and Druze groups.
Personal Status Laws: There is no unified civil family law for marriage, divorce, or inheritance. Instead, these matters are managed independently by religious courts run by each respective sect. 
Patronage and Services: Political parties often align with specific sects, utilizing state resources and religious networks to deliver social services and secure loyalty. 

Strengths and Flaws of the System

Stability vs. Deadlock: While the system guarantees representation for minorities and aims to prevent dominance by any single group, it frequently causes severe political paralysis. 
Demographic Tensions: The power-sharing quotas originally relied on a 1932 census. Over decades, shifting birth rates and migration altered the demographic balance (with Muslims becoming a numerical majority), which has periodically fueled internal friction, political crises, and historical conflict.
• The Lebanese government became exceptionally weak due to a rigid sectarian power-sharing system, entrenched corruption, devastating economic collapse, and the outsized military and political dominance of non-state actors like Hezbollah.  Hezbollah has taken over Lebanon.  Hezbollah did not take over Lebanon through a single military conquest, but rather through a gradual, decades-long process of political integration, military supremacy, and social institutionalization backed heavily by Iran. By exploiting Lebanon's weak, sectarian political structure and embedding itself as a "state within a state," Hezbollah built an apparatus more powerful than the Lebanese government itself.
• Iranian Foundations: Following Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) funded, trained, and organized fractured Shiite militias into a unified force.  Israel invaded Lebanon on June 6, 1982, codenamed Operation Peace for Galilee, primarily to remove the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) military and political presence from southern Lebanon. The immediate trigger was the attempted assassination of Shlomo Argov, Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, by the Abu Nidal Organization, though cross-border rocket fire and tensions had been escalating for years. Israel's goals may have been to :
• Destroy the PLO Infrastructure: Eliminate the organization's base of operations to weaken the broader Palestinian national movement.
Reshape Lebanese Politics: Help install a friendly, Christian-dominated government in Beirut that would sign a peace treaty with Israel.
Reduce Syrian Influence: Counter and diminish Syrian military presence and control within Lebanon.                                   



• After its military defeat by Israel in 1982, Syria under Hafez al-Assad shifted from direct conventional confrontation to proxy warfare and political maneuvering. Syria re-established its dominance in Lebanon by rebuilding its military presence, partnering with Iran to back local militias, and acting as the ultimate political "kingmaker" until international pressure forced a withdrawal in 2005.
•  Israel maintains an indefinite military presence in security zones across southern Lebanon and Syria, defying a fragile U.S.-brokered framework. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that troops will not withdraw, conditioning any future exit on Hezbollah's full disarmament, while Lebanon condemns the ongoing operations and home demolitions as violations of international law,
•  The Lebanese government faces pressure from a U.S.-backed framework to curb Hezbollah, but Hezbollah has rejected discussing its weapons before a complete Israeli withdrawal.                           
  
                                                 
  
  
  
• Hezbollah, meaning "Party of God" in Arabic, is a major Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Founded in 1982 during the Lebanese Civil War with support from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, it operates as a powerful "state within a state", possessing a massive military wing alongside extensive social and political networks. They took over the PLO's position in trying to get rid of Israel.   They are terrorists.  Hezbollah has targeted and fought against Israel for approximately 44 years, having first emerged as a militant group in Lebanon in 1982. Its core goal regarding Israel is the complete destruction and elimination of the Israeli state, a foundational objective driven by its anti-Zionist ideology and alliance with Iran,
• Stalled Negotiations: U.S. officials state that a permanent Israeli presence contradicts the original transition terms, though fresh diplomatic talks are expected to continue in Rome to address the stalled pilot zones and security arrangements.                      
  
          Iran has had the world shaking in their boots.....
• Iran ranks 17th in the world for both land area and population, covering roughly 1.65 million square kilometers (636,000 square miles) with an estimated population of over 92 million people. It is nearly the size of Alaska, more than twice the size of Texas, and has a population comparable to Turkey and Germany.                                        
  
  
  
• Since when do countries treat terrorism as another country's right to start attacking another country's people because of philosophy or religion and not in retaliation to attacks on their own people?  That's what Hezbollah has been doing to Israel.  And Lebanon and Syria are afraid of Iran and so comply with them.  
• Iran’s official goal to eliminate the Israeli state is driven by the foundational ideology of its 1979 Islamic Revolution, which views Israel as an illegitimate, western-backed colonial outpost on Muslim land. Tehran uses anti-Zionist rhetoric and support for regional proxy groups to claim leadership in the Muslim world, And I see everyone buckling under to it.  
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• Demographic Tensions: T power-sharing quotas originally relied on a 1932 census. Over decades, shifting birth rates and migration altered the demographic balance (with Muslims becoming a numerical majority), which has periodically fueled internal friction, political crises, and historical conflict