In 1989, when the Soviet Union opened its gates to the many Jews interested in emigrating, the First Home in the Homeland program was launched to assist in their absorption to their new life in Israel.

Though initially, the urban character of the new immigrants together with the collective socialist image of the kibbutz hampered the interest of Soviet Jews, the tide quickly changed. Glowing letters and reports from relatives and friends in Israel who had had taken the jump and tried the kibbutz program, as well as the personal stories and contact with kibbutz Hebrew teachers sent to the Soviet Union to teach, resulted in a major interest and an influx of participants.

By 1990-1991, when thousands of Russian Jews were landing in Israel monthly, the program was in full swing and able to accommodate the masses looking to make their first home in Israel on one of the many kibbutzim. The goal of the program, as defined by the kibbutz movement, was to provide a soft landing for olim in Israel. When the newcomers arrived, they may not have found fancy elaborate housing, but they were given a warm authentic welcome, a simple but pleasantly furnished apartment, quality education for their children, and high level Hebrew ulpanim. 

Kibbutzim Rise to the Call

As part of the preparations for the expected massive aliyah, a count was made of possible accommodations for emergency use, and the number of Russian speakers among the kibbutz members was surveyed.  Letters started arriving from Jews in the Soviet Union trying to locate family members in kibbutzim throughout the country. The kibbutzim rallied together for what they saw as a national mission.  Kindergartens, mattresses, host families etc. were prepared …and indeed, during the first few years, thousands of new immigrants arrived every month.

The kibbutzim opened their homes and their hearts, and kibbutz members volunteered to help in a variety of ways: preparing apartments for olim, contributing household items for their use, baking cakes and in general adopting the families. A family of olim, no matter what time of day they arrived, were warmly welcomed. The family was given an apartment with everything they needed: a kitchen with appliances and a full refrigerator, furniture, bedding, etc.

During the first days of the program, it was not completely clear that the gates of the USSR would remain open. As a result, many Jews left in haste, without fully preparing and relied heavily on the support they received.

In many of the kibbutzim, there were older members who spoke Russian and assisted the olim in every aspect of their absorption, including establishing ties with other kibbutz members. The olim, for their part, were very pleased to find Russian-speaking kibbutz members who often replaced the grandfather and grandmother they had left behind.

Throughout the years, seminars and meetings were held for those involved in the absorption of the olim. The seminars helped the workers and volunteers understand the aliyah process for adults and children, and problems that arose in the field were discussed. The value of these seminars was immeasurable and helped in the successful absorption of many olim.

Ulpan

Learning Hebrew was and still is, a central part of the First Home in the Homeland program. By 1990, numerous ulpan classes had been opened, in almost every Regional Council in the country, with new classes beginning every few months.

The thousands of new immigrants were joining the millions before them in learning the revived language of their new country. Absorption coordinators were appointed in the various regions organizing cultural activities, holiday celebrations and tours, hikes, and lectures for the olim in and about Israel, in order to assist in their absorption and to familiarize them with their new surroundings.

Second Stage Absorption

Following the completion of the ulpan, the new immigrants quickly found work or decided to continue studying, sometimes both.  Some chose to move to another location, while others went through the regular absorption process and were absorbed as full kibbutz members. Though some olim did not always understand the kibbutz way of life, there were those who choose to live on the kibbutzim on a resident status, whether as a result of finding work in the area, or because they liked the kibbutz education system or general lifestyle.

By 1999, over 7,000 families had been absorbed through the First Home in the Homeland program. Around 600 became kibbutz members and over 2/3 of the remaining families stayed on the various kibbutzim as residents or as workers living in the area. The olim became contributing members to the kibbutzim, their local regions, and to the State of Israel as a whole. Over the years, as the massive aliyah of the 1990's declined, so did the number of kibbutzim who were participating in the First Home in the Homeland program. Recently though, the program has been restructured and opened to olim from many additional countries.

In 1993 the First Home in the Homeland Program was awarded the State Prize from the Knesset Chairman in recognition of their contribution to the community.

We look forward to welcoming and assisting many additional new olim from all over the world.