Aviv and Yonatan

27/12/2023

The Technion awarded Aviv Heine a scholarship in memory of her partner, the late Sergeant Yonatan Maimon, 
who fell in Gaza. The two met in the "Desert Eagles" group of the Technion's FIRST robotics program

The dream of Aviv Heine and her partner Yonatan Maimon was to study engineering together at the Technion. 
Yonatan and Aviv, residents of Ofakim, were introduced to FIRST, an educational program led by the Technion, designed to arouse 
technological curiosity in children and teenagers and cultivate them as science and technology leaders.

Sergeant Yonatan Maimon, Z”L

The late Yonatan was born in Bnei Brak to an ultra-Orthodox family of 12. When he was in eighth grade, the family moved to Ofakim. Jonathan gradually abandoned the orthodox way of life. His mother tried to help him integrate into the secular education system, but he moved from one setting to another and was unable to integrate.

The Yeshiva High School in Ofakim accepted him even though he did not meet the threshold conditions. Yeshiva director Sigalit Hadad, who believed in his abilities, worked to integrate him into one of the FIRST robotics groups in Ofakim, “Desert Eagles FRC #6104” – a unique group that combines Yeshiva students, Ulpan girls and high school students.

Yonatan and Aviv

“Yonatan was received by the members of the group with love and a huge hug,” says the group’s mentor Ruth Naamani. “Yonatan told me that his knowledge of arithmetic is very limited and he does not know the letters in English. I asked who in the group was willing to help him with these issues, and the group captain Aviv Heine – an excellent student in the scientific excellence class – answered immediately.”
Aviv helped and mentored Yonatan for an entire summer, which allowed him to return to the education system, and what’s more, to finish high school with a full matriculation in physics (5 units), English (5) and mathematics (4). Yonatan was also involved in the “Desert Eagles” group as a team leader and as a kashrut leader.

The friendship between Aviv and Jonathan turned into a great love, but it was cut short on November 4 with the tragic death of the late Yonatan, a fighter in the Nahal Brigade, who fell in the northern Gaza Strip.

FIRST CEO Ido Mazursky, who met Aviv during the traditional seven mourning days for Yonatan, turned to Prof. Menachem Katopori, who previously led FIRST activities at the Technion, and Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan. This is how the idea for the special scholarship for Aviv Heine was born.

“I share in my deep sorrow for the death of your spouse, the late Yonatan Maimon, who fell in the war to defend the State of Israel,” Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan wrote to Aviv. “I learned that your dream and Yonatan’s dream was to study engineering, and in this way influence all of humanity. Out of deep appreciation for your work and your leadership and in order to help you realize your dream, the Technion has decided to grant you a tuition scholarship for two years. I hope that the scholarship will brighten your day a little in these difficult times, and will serve as a token in memory of the late Yonatan.”

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan’s letter to Aviv Heine

Last week, on the thirtieth day after Jonathan’s passing, Aviv received the Technion scholarship letter from their mentor, Ruth Naamani.

*Photos courtesy of Aviv Heine