Moona courses attract an equal number of Arab and Jewish teens in the Galilee.
New technology and innovation hub opens in northern Arab-Israeli town
New technology and innovation hub opens in northern Arab-Israeli town to foster a unified youth movement of space-science enthusiasts. Asaf Brimer spent 25 years in the Israeli air force and aerospace sector before an idea came into his mind like a shooting star across the horizon: He would bring Israeli Arab and Jewish students together through a collaborative research center focused on outer space. Moona — a Space for Change officially opened in September last year in Majd Al-Kurum, a Muslim village 10 miles east of Acre (Akko) in the Western Galilee. So far, it has attracted about 100 high school students – roughly a 50-50 split between Jewish and Muslim teens – for weekly courses in robotics, drones, 3D printing, electronics and other technologies related to outer-space exploration. Families from the area also are welcome at Moona. “Moona” means “wish” in Arabic and sounds like “moon” in English, while in Hebrew “emoona” means “faith.” Brimer says he and his founding partner, Hussein Tarabeih, the Muslim head of Towns Association for Environmental Quality, wanted to connect Arab and Jewish citizens of the Galilee to one another and to the academic institutions and businesses of the region. “I started it because the separation in our society is the biggest challenge for Israel, and I decided that my children will be better off if society is more open,” he says. “We lose a lot of advantages because we don’t have opportunities to meet each other, and [Arab children] have few opportunities in high-tech.” In Brimer’s vision, there are no divisions between peoples. “From outer space, everyone looks the same,” he says. (via Israel21c)
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New technology and innovation hub opens in northern Arab-Israeli town
h/t The Israel Project
New technology and innovation hub opens in northern Arab-Israeli town
