The trailblazing female Muslim Arab IDF major – Known as “Captain Ella,” Ella Waweya from Qalansawe had to conceal her service from her family when she joined the military. | JNS.org

(January 2, 2023 / JNS) She is a Muslim Arab woman.
She’s an iconoclast and a pioneer.
An army officer who has received both the President’s Award of Excellence and that of the minister of defense, she is the first Muslim Arab woman to publicly become a major in the IDF.
Meet Ella Waweya, 33, internationally known as “Captain Ella” (even after her promotion), the IDF’s deputy spokesperson for the Arabic media.
Captain Ella’s unconventional life journey begins in the central Israeli city of Qalansawe, located east of Netanya, where virtually all the residents are Muslim Arabs. Although she was born into a conservative, religious family, from a young age Waweya felt that she wanted to be part of Israeli society.