Moona -- a Space for Change runs mentored afterschool programs as well as job-specific training to young adults.
“Eventually I hope there will be Moona centers in the US and UAE. It’s a model that can be copied anywhere because it’s about people.”
Moona — a Space for Change began in September 2014 as an extracurricular program where Jewish and Arab Israeli high school students get acquainted while learning technologies related to space exploration –robotics, drones, 3D printing and electronics.
Since then, Moona has expanded and added advanced vision and IoT technologies to the curriculum, plus job-specific training for young adults (not necessarily in space technology) in coordination with high-tech businesses looking to hire.
The collaborative hands-on skills acquisition takes place at Moona locations in two Arab Israeli towns: Majd al-Krumin the Western Galilee near Acre (Akko) and Kafr Qasim in central Israel.
“Moona” means “wish” in Arabic. In Hebrew, “emoona” means “faith. ”The name also reflects an ambition to “shoot for the moon” literally and figuratively.
Asaf Brimer spent 25 years in the Israeli air force and aerospace sector before establishing Moona with a Muslim partner.
“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,” Brimer says. “We lose a lot of advantages because we don’t have opportunities to meet each other.”
With the recent lifting of Covid restrictions in Israel, once again 50 to 100 Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and Bedouin Israelis started coming to each site for activities every weekday.
Following the 11-day conflict with Gaza in May, and racial unrest in cities including Akko, Moona brought in psychologists to help the students process their emotions, and then got back to the business of science.
“Everything is more challenging now but there are more opportunities, too,” Brimer said.
“In two years, I believe we’ll have six to 10 centers in Israel. Eventually, I hope there will be Moona centers in the US and UAE. It’s a model that can be copied anywhere because it’s about people.”