Elaine Chaya has had quite the impressive resume: she was a popular fashion and lifestyle blogger who worked with brands like Uniqlo, Abercrombie & Fitch, DSW, and Crocs, and appeared on E! News, PopSugar, and Cosmopolitan.
In 2018, she launched the #WokeUpThisWayChallenge Instagram campaign, inviting people to post about their real lives on social media. She eventually partnered with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, with celebrities from “Glee,” “Pitch Perfect” and “Pretty Little Liars” posting their own stories.
During the pandemic, her focus began to shift to mental health, education (she was homeschooling other people’s children at the time) and her Jewish journey.
“I was becoming more spiritual, so I started including Judaism on social media,” she said. “I kept the Sabbath.”
When the October 7 attacks occurred, Elaine, the daughter of Iranian Jewish immigrants, was determined to fully embrace Judaism, stand up for Israel, and fight anti-Semitism on her feed. She has not hesitated to declare to her more than 87,000 Instagram followers: “I am a proud Jew, and nothing will stop me from speaking out.”
She has made videos of herself talking about hostages, commenting on the situation in Iran and urging people to live with faith in God.
“In life you never know what the future holds, but what this experience has taught me is that if you work with yourself every day and keep the faith, one day life will show you why your struggles were worth it,” she wrote to her followers, also sharing a photo of herself wearing a shirt that read “Emunah” (faith) in Hebrew.
Based in Los Angeles, Elaine is on a mission to inspire Jewish people, fight anti-Semitism, and strengthen their people with every post.
“The more I post about my Judaism, the more proud I feel,” she says. “Once you start flexing that muscle, it just gets stronger and stronger.”
Growing up in LA
Elaine’s parents fled Iran as teenagers after the revolution and the country fell to extremists, where conditions became dangerous for Jews and many made their way to the United States. Her father left the country when he was 18 and her mother when she was 13. They met in Los Angeles, married and had two daughters, Elaine and her sister.
There are thousands of Iranian Jews living in LA, so Elaine and her family felt right at home.
“We didn’t feel alone because there was a big community of people here from the schools my parents went to in Iran,” she said. “We brought unity and culture here.”
Although she attended public schools, Elaine didn’t experience anti-Semitism as a child, but it was at UCLA where she attended college that she first saw pro-Palestinian groups on campus.
“They put up the apartheid wall for one week a year,” she says, “but I felt safe there as a Jew. I was active in Hillel and worked for a rabbi. There were a lot of Jewish students at UCLA. I didn’t feel that scared.”
Elaine and her sister chose UCLA because that’s where her mother went to school, and it became a second home for her.
“It was home to me too,” Elaine says.
Domestic anti-Semitism
When pro-Palestinian groups occupied UCLA last semester, desecrating legendary Royce Hall and setting up an encampment, it felt personal to Elaine.
“I was really disappointed,” she said. “I thought very highly of UCLA. It was a place that welcomed Iranian Jews at a time when they weren’t welcome in their own country. It was devastating to see the graffiti and what people did to the school.”
Elaine attended a pro-Israel rally on campus and saw the encampment surrounded by barricades, so she stayed far away.
“I didn’t talk to the protesters,” she said, “I saw them, but I’ll be honest with you, it was scary.”
She posted a photo to her Instagram with the caption, “College is a place of education, not anti-Semitism,” along with a video of Jews blowing the shofar at UCLA. She wrote, “In Judaism, we hear the shofar on two of our biggest holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These are the times when we offer our deepest prayers and connect most closely with Hashem. After the chaos of the past few weeks, it was surreal to be on this completely deserted campus. But I truly felt Hashem. God, please hear our prayers, repair this world, and bring back the hostages.”
Although it was depressing to see what happened at UCLA, it gave Elaine the boost she needed to continue pursuing her goals of increasing Jewish pride and educating both Jewish and non-Jewish communities.
Education about Judaism and Israel
Elaine founded Workshop 8Teen, a program that educates Jewish high school students and prepares them to stand up against hatred towards Jews. She held her first launch in San Diego in April, teaching students on topics such as “What is genocide” and “What is occupation?”
“We teach them how to respond if someone says something about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she said. “If a Jewish student is confronted with this, they’ll know what to do.”
She also wants to educate non-Jews and build allies with those who are not extremists.
“People who are not Jewish need to step up and speak out,” she said. “There are a lot of Jews who are influential on social media, but people outside the Jewish community need to start speaking up for us.”
Although Elaine receives many hateful comments on her posts from anti-Israel and anti-Semitic people, she continues to post because she knows she is making a positive difference, and she encourages others to do the same.
“Some people say, I want to be on Instagram, but it’s not for me,” she says. “Everyone has their niche and can contribute something during this time. For me, it’s social media. One mom I’ve become friends with is involved in fundraising for Israel Defense Force helmets. Another person I know is an incredible fashion designer who makes jackets with the Star of David on them. There are lots of different ways to contribute.”
She continued: “Do something that’s authentic and exciting to you. Make it your own. And get involved in whatever way, shape or form you can.”
