Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa
Ellie Cohanim: From Iran to American Diplomacy
Fled Iran's 1979 revolution as a child refugee and later served as deputy special envoy against antisemitism.
- Fled
- Iran
- Status
- Refugee
- Arrived in the U.S.
- 1979
- Service
- Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism (2019 to 2021); Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Mission to the United Nations
- Region
- Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa
Ellie Cohanim's Jewish family fled Iran around the 1979 revolution, as antisemitism rose. Her official Department of State biography says she arrived in the United States as a child refugee.
She served as Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism from 2019 to 2021 and was later named Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
Read the history behind this story on the Iran page, or browse all the diplomats.