First Home in the Homeland

First Home in the Homeland provides young families with a warm home on a kibbutz for their first six or twelve months in Israel. Moving to Israel is the fulfilment of a dream. But many new immigrants experience many difficulties on arriving in Israel. Especially young families find it difficult to build a new social network, and in many cases become isolated because they do not speak the Hebrew language very well. For this group the Jewish Agency established the First Homeland programme in 1989. Immigrants from all over the world participate in this programme. The project is a cooperation between the Ministry of Immigration, local authorities and Kibbutzim in many parts of the country.

The Jewish Agency will carefully match olim (immigrants to Israel) with one of the 44 participating Kibbutzim in the Negev and the Galilee. For the first six months, the olim will study in Ulpan (school for the intensive study of Hebrew) either three or five mornings weekly, while their children attend schools on the kibbutz or nearby.

After completing Ulpan, they will have the option to extend their stay another half-year; most olim use that time to find employment in the area, continue in advanced Ulpan, or join vocational courses.

Costs to assist a family for one month in the First Home in the Homeland programme $765. 

Please support a family in the First Home in the Homeland programme. Any amount is welcome.