Click here for PowerPoint about Eilot Region - Yotvata, Yahal, Lotan

Hear the Drum (Drom) of Africa to Eretz Yisrael

Darryl Egnal

Four Months to Realize the Desert Is the Promised Land!!
No-one could understand why I’d chosen the desert to make my “soft landing” in Israel. Actually, I wasn’t sure myself. But I’m slowly starting to realize that it was the best place for me to be. When I arrived, I looked at my living quarters (a little bigger than my study at home) and took in the view outside the Kibbutz and thought: “What on earth have I done?” Then I thought: “If I can get through six months of this, I can get through anything!!!” Well, four months down the line, I’m thinking: “Hey, I could get used to this!!!” And no-one could possibly be more surprised than I am! 

The desert is definitely an amazing place! Truly, the more time I spend here, the more I love it. I’m not sure when this started to happen, and I’m still surprised by the way I’m feeling, but my appreciation for my “first home in the homeland” (Bayit Rishon B’Moledet) grows deeper every day. I’ve experienced intense, dry (a good thing compared to humid) heat I’ve known only a few times in my life. But air-conditioners are a wonderful invention and rooms become escape havens when the heat gets too much. Read more

Damien Rozan

The Bayit Rishon B'moledet program is a great program for those wanted a softer landing in Israel. You only need to worry about study instead of the busy life in the cities as it is more quiet here for the initial period.

I enjoyed my stay at Kibbutz Ein Hashofet. Everything was as it was explained to me. I met great kibbutz members and friends from the program that I am now moving to Tel Aviv with. Fantastic!!

The ulpan was 3 days per week and other times we had to ourselves to study or to find work on the kibbutz  if possible. Kibbutz Ein Hashofet is located in a very beautiful area near Yokneam and Afula and is very close to Haifa about 45 minutes by bus or 20 by car.

I would recommend the program to anyone. It was the main reason I made aliyah so quickly from my when I made my decision to come to Israel the home of the Jewish people.  I also want to thank you Elena from helping me from the beginning for helping me into the program.

Tanya

I have loved my time at the kibbutz. I have met awesome people, been travelling around Israel on group tours and most importantly I can now speak a bit of Hebrew. I have been very lucky to have a very warm and generous host family, they have really gone out of their way for me and welcomed me as part of their family. As an initial absorption program I would highly recommend it, we have learnt so much and managed to sort out most of our admin and bureaucracy. I am very happy to tell you that those of us that are leaving the kibbutz are renting flats together. I am looking forward to coming back and visiting my new friends and family on the kibbutz. Thank you Elena for all your hard work!!!

Thanks

Alex and Galit Findlay

Galit and I arrived on Ein Hashofet at the end of April 2009. Both of us were really happy when we saw whereabouts the Kibbutz is situated: arguably one of the most beautiful areas in Israel! The program is structured that you study 3 days a week in the Ulpan; the off days of the week allowed for: self study, exploration, sorting out our paperwork, working (if we could find work) but the real priority was to learn as much Hebrew as possible. A soft landing in a small but manageable unit allows for more personal space in your first home in Israel. Both of us would recommend the program to other Olim who are eligible and who would like a quiet, rural absorption into Israel and who are motivated to learn as much Hebrew as possible!

Bev Jaffe 

As the plane touches down at Ben Gurion, I give a sigh of relief.

This is it…this is my 14 year dream, Martin, Sivana, Rishon and myself have landed in Eretz Yisrael.

The place we are going to grow old in, see our children through school in, and eventually pass away in.

As new Olim, we are extremely lucky to have been chosen for the B’ayit Rishon B’Moledet program, under the auspices of Elena Kovarsky.

From the day of the Aliyah Expo in Cape Town, we knew that we wanted to have our first experience in Israel on a kibbutz. more >>>