Captain Ella (Arabic: كابتن ايلا born October 16, 1989), also known as “Ella Waweya” (ايلا واوية), is an IDF officer with the rank of Major, who holds the position of Deputy IDF Spokesperson for Arab media as of 2021, Effective September 1, 2021, Captain Ella became the first Arab Muslim woman to be promoted to the rank of IDF Major (Rav seren).
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Early life of Captain Ella
Captain Ella (Deputy IDF Spokesperson) was born in Qalansawa to a Muslim family. She was educated at Atid School, where she also graduated from high school. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in communication from the Netanya Academic College, and a master’s degree with honors in government and political marketing at IDC Herzliya.
In 2010, she established the “Living Together” project – a group that brings together Arabs and Jews in order to create intercultural understanding and coexistence.
Even before her military service, she worked in the field of communications, Captain Ella was a broadcaster on Kol Netanya radio (affiliated with the National College of Netanya) for two years, on the program “Belarabi Achla.” Ella served as the initiator and producer of the “Sorry, didn’t we surf a bit?” Campaign, which aims to raise awareness of online dangers, and won the Bank Hapoalim grant.
Captain Ella ( Ella Waweya ) has been active on social media for the Arab world (gaining exposure and popularity on Facebook, Tiktok and Twitter), alongside traditional and news media.
Military career of Captain Ella
Captain Ella (Deputy IDF Spokesperson) volunteered for a year of national service at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba in 2011. After that, she volunteered for service in “Israel Defense Forces” in 2013, as the first soldier from the “Triangle” area in the IDF. In light of the sensitivity of the matter, she concealed her service in the Israeli army from her family members and those around her. She completed her training as an exemplary soldier. During her service she participated in many operations. Among them Operation Eitan; also known as Operation Protective Edge; Arabic:” عملية الجرف الصامد“, “Black Belt”, “Northern Shield”, “Return of the Brothers” and the wave of violence and terror in 2015.
Training and Awards
She began the officers’ course at the 1st Battalion in 2015, during which she received the President’s Outstanding Medal. In 2018, she received the Outstanding Award from the Head of the Operations Division, Major General Aharon Haliva.
Serve Publicly
At the end of 2019, Captain Ella “Ella Waweya” the Arab Muslim, who chose to be an IDF officer, was no longer afraid to say out loud: “The Israeli flag gives me a sense of excitement, belonging and love.”and made her military service public, and began creating “Captain Ella Videos” – a series of informational videos about Israel and the IDF for Arab society
Captain Ella’s Videos
Captain Ella’s Videos; Arabic:” فيديو كابتن إيلا“- IDF Briefing Tour, As part of her role in this series of informational videos about Israel and the IDF, she leads a team of soldiers, all speaking Arabic, committed to presenting the Arab world with a different and true picture of Israel and the IDF. Their target audience is hundreds of millions of Arabic speakers in the countries neighboring Israel, Captain Ella’s Videos starring “إيلا واوية” are the actual truth, and exact factual,about Israel and the IDF.
As of 2021, Captain Ella holds the position of Deputy IDF Spokesperson for Arab media.
Effective September 1, 2021, Captain Ella was promoted to the rank of major (Rav seren) in the Israel Defense Forces and became the first Muslim woman to attain this rank.
Related topics
| Captain Ella | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Born | October 16, 1989 |
| Place of Birth | Qalansawe |
| Country | Israel |
| Education | BA Communication and Media |
| Tertiary Education | MP Govt & political marketing |
| Languages | Arabic, Hebrew |
| Allegiance | Israel Defense Forces |
| Unit | IDF Spokesperson's Unit |
| Military Rank | Major (Rav seren) |
| Years of service | 2013–present |
| Duty | Deputy IDF Spokesperson for Arab media |
| Awards | President’s Outstanding Medal |
| operations | Operation Protective Edge |