April 2022
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A Woman on the Go
Aja Cohen, founder and CEO of Transcendent Active shares her journey to Judaism and to starting her own clothing brand.
By Penina Taylor
When you hear of a fashion designer who has designed for the likes of Aéropostale, Elle Magazine, Converse, Fila, etc., you probably don’t imagine a petite Orthodox Jewish mom from Teaneck, NJ. But that is exactly who Aja (pronounced: Asia) Cohen is – and of course, so, so much more.
Aja was born into a large Italian Catholic family, fondly remembering large family Sunday dinners together each week. So when she became Jewish, the weekly Shabbat meals felt very familiar and comfortable. But even from a young age, Aja was one who marched to the beat of a different drummer. She was an actress in high school, she was the first one in her family to say she was leaving New Jersey, and she was the first that was going to college – she had a lot of big dreams.
And of course, she was the first to think about converting to Judaism.
A Message From Our Editor
It’s all over social media – comedian Chris Rock made a joke in bad taste about actor Will Smith’s wife Jada at this year’s Academy Awards, and Will Smith marched up on stage and hit Chris Rock. Everyone is taking sides – some say violence is never acceptable, no matter what. Others say violence isn’t acceptable, but we understand why Will Smith did what he did. And yet others say Chris Rock asked for it and Will Smith was right. But whichever opinion we take, one thing is certain; Chris Rock should never have made such a mean-spirited joke.
Humor is an odd thing. Sometimes the things humans find humorous are mean. I have pondered this for a long time – why is it funny to play a joke on someone? Why is it funny to make someone look stupid? When we think about it, we know it’s wrong, and yet in the moment, we laugh. But should we?
Penina Taylor
Editor in Chief
