Adela Cojab Explained

Adela Cojab
Birth Name:Adela Cojab Moadeb
Birth Date:November 12, 1996
Education:New York University, Yeshiva University
Occupation:Activist, author, podcaster, law student
Years Active:2019–present

Adela Cojab Moadeb (born November 12, 1996) is a Mexican-born American activist, author, podcaster, and law student. She is known for advocating against antisemitism and for Zionist causes. Most notably, she is known for her formal complaint against New York University under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for allowing antisemitic activities on campus.[1] [2] [3] [4]

She was also a host of the podcast American-ish Show: Daughters of the Diaspora, alongside Mariam Wahba, during 2022-2023.[5] [6] [7]

Early life

Cojab was born in Mexico City, Mexico.[8] She is Jewish of Syrian and Lebanese descent. She moved to the United States in 2001. She grew up in Deal, New Jersey, and attended Hillel Yeshiva.[9] [10]

Education

Cojab attended New York University and graduated from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a degree in Middle Eastern diaspora studies in 2019.[11] While studying at NYU, she served as president of the student organization Realize Israel,[12] Senator for Jewish and International Students on the school's University Senate,[13] and the official representative for Jewish students for the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council. She was also vice president of the AEPhi sorority and a chairperson for the American Union of Jewish Students.Cojab received a Broome & Allen Scholarship from the American Sephardi Foundation in 2018.[14] [15]

She went on to attend the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University.[16] [17]

Activism

During Cojab's time as president of the Realize Israel student group, 53 other student groups refused to co-sponsor events with Realize Israel as part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.[18] [19] One of the group’s celebrations, Rave in the Park, was also disrupted by Anti-Zionist protestors affiliated with the student groups Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice of Peace, two of which were arrested for reckless endangerment and assault.[20] One of the protestors arrested was one of Cojab's classmates in her Arabic seminar. Cojab was also subjected to social media attacks and social isolation for her Zionist stances.

In response to NYU giving an award to the university chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine,[21] Cojab filed a Title VI complaint with the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, calling for a full-fledged investigation into antisemitic activity on campus.[22] [23] The university reached a settlement with the Office of Civil Rights, with NYU revising its discrimination and harassment policies to include antisemitism.[24] [25]

Speaking engagements

In 2019, she spoke alongside President Donald Trump during the keynote address at the Israeli-American Council Annual Conference.[26] [27] [28] In response to the events at NYU and other college campuses, President Trump would go on to sign an executive order expanding the definition of antisemitism to include "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination," making such actions a Title VI violation.[29] Cojab also spoke about on-campus advocacy at the Maccabee Academy Conference, hosted by the Maccabee Task Force at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas in February 2019.[30]

In 2022, Cojab was a speaker at the Sephardic Community Alliance BootCampUs event for high school students.[31]

Cojab spoke about her experiences with antisemitism at her university at the World Jewish Congress's Lauder Fellowship Opening Seminar in 2022.[32] Cojab also served as a speaker at the Lauder Fellowship Opening Seminar in 2023 at the second annual Jewish Youth Assembly, hosted by the World Jewish Congress.[33] She also spoke at a community event rallying against antisemitism organized by the nonprofit organization Enough Is Enough in 2023.[34]

Media

Cojab wrote the chapter "Confronting Terror: The Buenos Aires Bombings” in the World Jewish Congress’s 80th anniversary book, which was published in 2017.[14] [35]

Cojab co-hosted the talk show podcast American-ish Show: Daughters of the Diaspora with her co-host Mariam Wahba in 2022–2023.[5] [7]

Personal life

Cojab is fluent in Spanish, English, Hebrew, and Portuguese.[36]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kylie Ora . Lobell . December 10, 2023 . Suing NYU: Fighting Antisemitism on Campus . 2024-02-21 . . en-US.
  2. News: Murakami . Kery . October 1, 2020 . NYU Settles Anti-Semitism Case . 2024-02-21 . . en.
  3. Web site: Mohammadi . Mina . February 24, 2020 . NYU Sued for Alleged Anti-Semitism, Students React . 2024-02-21 . Washington Square News (NYU student newspaper).
  4. News: Wolf . Rachel . December 15, 2019 . Student who sued NYU over antisemitism praises Trump's executive order . 2024-02-21 . . en.
  5. Web site: Bandler . Aaron . 2022-02-14 . Sephardic Jew, Coptic Christian to Launch Middle East Talk Show . 2024-02-21 . Jewish Journal . en-US.
  6. Web site: 2022-03-03 . 'American-ish': Adela Cojab, Mariam Wahba's Show Details . 2024-02-21 . In Touch Weekly . en-US.
  7. Web site: Podcast: Americanish: Daughters of Diaspora . 2024-05-03 . . en.
  8. Web site: Russell . David . January 13, 2020 . 'Now's the time for Jewish pride': rabbi . . 2024-02-22.
  9. Web site: Claudia . Moscovici . March 19, 2021 . Fighting BDS on college campuses: Adela Cojab and the Maccabee Task Force . The Times of Israel blogs.
  10. September 2, 2021 . An Unforgettable Evening . Jewish Image . 2024-02-21 . en-US.
  11. News: Prince . Catherine J. . February 11, 2020 . Anti-Semitism on US campuses may force schools to choose free speech or bigotry . 2024-02-22 . The Times of Israel.
  12. Web site: Devlin . Sayer . 2018-12-07 . Student Senators Pass BDS Resolution After Shouts, Screams and Snaps . 2024-02-21 . Washington Square News.
  13. Web site: Samantha . Mandeles . 2020-10-08 . NYU Student Reaches Landmark Settlement with University in Campus Anti-Semitism Lawsuit . 2024-02-21 . Legal Insurrection . en-US.
  14. December 21, 2017 . Announcing the ASF's 2018 Broome & Allen Fellowship and Scholarship Recipients . 2024-02-23 . The American Sephardi Federation . https://web.archive.org/web/20180219161019/https://americansephardi.org/news/announcing-the-asfs-2018-broome-allen-fellowship-and-scholarship-recipients/ . 2018-02-19.
  15. Web site: 2020-06-18 . PROPEL by propelnetwork – Issuu . 2024-02-21 . issuu.com . en.
  16. Web site: Braunstein . Melissa Langsam . 2022-09-30 . The new loyalty oath imposed on Jews . . 2024-02-21 . en-US.
  17. Web site: September 2023 . Lauder Fellowship Opening Seminar 2023 . World Jewish Congress . 2024-02-21 . EN.
  18. News: Dolsten . Josefin . April 13, 2018 . 51 NYU student groups pledge to boycott Israel and its backers . 2024-02-21 . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . en-US.
  19. News: Dolsten . Josefin . April 24, 2018 . What it's like to support Israel at NYU . . 2024-03-24.
  20. Web site: April 30, 2018 . Anti-Zionist NYU Students Arrested at Israel Independence Day Party, Charged With Reckless Endangerment, Assault . 2024-02-21 . . en-US.
  21. Hyatt . Lachlan . April 10, 2019 . NYU Students for Justice in Palestine Receives Service Award From President Hamilton . 2024-03-09 . Washington Square News.
  22. News: Talia . Kaplan . November 14, 2019 . Education Dept. probing alleged anti-Semitism at NYU . 2024-02-21 . Fox News.
  23. Book: Laitman, Michael . New Antisemitism: Mutation of a Long-lived Hatred . 2022 . Laitman Kabbalah Publishers . 979-8-8498-1802-3 . en.
  24. Web site: September 25, 2020 . RESOLUTION AGREEMENT New York University Case No. 02-19-2174 . United States Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights . 2024-05-19.
  25. Web site: September 25, 2020 . Letter to President Hamilton New York University Case No. 02-19-2174 . United States Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights . 2024-05-19.
  26. Donald Trump, Adela Cojab, Elan Carr . December 7, 2019 . Hollywood, FL . President Trump Delivers Remarks at Israeli-American Council National Summit . 2024-02-21 . C-SPAN.
  27. Web site: Remarks by President Trump at the Israeli American Council National Summit 2019 – The White House . 2024-02-21 . trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov.
  28. Web site: 'My university failed to protect its Jewish students' . 2024-02-21 . . 8 December 2019 .
  29. News: Green . Erica L. . 2019-12-12 . Wider Definition of Judaism Is Likely to Aid Crackdown on Colleges . . 2024-02-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191212160624/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/us/politics/trump-anti-semitism-judaism-nationality.html . 2019-12-12 .
  30. Web site: Bandler . Aaron . 2019-02-13 . Conference Teaches Students to Stand Up for Israel . 2024-02-21 . Jewish Journal . en-US.
  31. 2022-05-11 . SCA BootCampUs . 2024-02-21 . Jewish Image . en-US.
  32. New cohort of Lauder Fellows convene in New York City for Opening Seminar . August 2022 . 2024-02-21 . World Jewish Congress . EN.
  33. Second annual Jewish Youth Assembly unites over 80 students from 24 countries to address the challenges facing the global Jewish community . March 2023 . 2024-02-21 . World Jewish Congress . EN.
  34. Ashkenazi . Yola . 2023-02-24 . Enough is Enough . 2024-02-21 . Jewish Image . en-US.
  35. Web site: Cojab-Moadeb. Adela . 2021 . Confronting Terror: The Buenos Aires Bombings . 2024-02-21 . World Jewish Congress . EN.
  36. Dreyfus . Hannah . June 6, 2018 . Adela Cojab Moadeb, 21 . 2024-02-23 . . en-US.