The Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund Distributes "Homecoming Kits" to Returning Kibbutz Members

Rehabilitating the Soul: The Homecoming Kits, an initiative of the Kibbutz Movement's Society and Community Division, supported by the Rehabilitation Fund and Bituach Haklai (Agricultural Insurance), are designed to help families from affected kibbutzim cope with trauma and rebuild a sense of home and security.

Among the items in the kit: seeds for planting to symbolize hope and growth, calming herbal tea, a purification kit, and cards that encourage a family ceremony.

Kibbutz member receiving her homecoming kit. Photo credit- Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund

Distributing the Homecoming Kits to kibbutz residents. Photo credit- Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund

Assembling of the Homecoming Kits. Photo credit- Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund

Distribution of the Homecoming Kits to kibbutz residents. Photo credit- Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund

Homecoming Kits. Photo credit- Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund

With many families preparing to return to their homes in the Western Negev kibbutzim which were affected by the October 7 attack, the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund, in collaboration with Ayelet Haris, Head of the Kibbutz Movement's Society and Community Division, and with support from Bituach Haklai, has initiated the distribution of "Homecoming Kits." These unique kits are a result of listening to the needs and concerns of the returning residents, meant to support the complex return process and provide a small moment of comfort and connection in a place that holds both positive and negative memories.

The homes in the kibbutzim, which once served as safe havens, were desecrated and damaged since October 7^th 2023. Many of the residents and families who have spent long hours in their safe rooms during the massacre, are now returning not only to rebuild the physical structure of their homes but also the sense of security, belonging, and community. The "Homecoming Kit" is an attempt to assist with this, through a variety of symbolic and practical items.

Among the items in the kit are seeds for planting that symbolize hope and growth, calming herbal tea, a purification kit, and cards that encourage families to hold a homecoming ceremony. The goal is to turn the "house" back into a "home," giving displaced and evacuated families tools to reconnect with each other and with their rebuilt home.

Neri Shotan, CEO of the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund:

"Our primary mission is the rehabilitation of Israel's kibbutzim and kibbutz communities in the North and South. We are engaged not only in physical construction but also in rehabilitating the spirit. Just as we support initiatives relating to infrastructure, education, employment, and other projects, we see supreme importance in investing in the emotional rehabilitation of the communities, which are the beating heart of the kibbutzim. We are here for them, for the long term, to ensure that every family returns and finds in their home not just a roof over their head, but also a sense of belonging, security, and hope."

Ayelet Haris, Head of the Kibbutz Movement's Society and Community Division, added:

"The kit was born out of genuine and sincere listening to the representatives of the kibbutzim in the Gaza Envelope. In the meetings we held, painful and profound statements were raised about home and the need to befriend the outside world again, to find security anew, and especially about the longing for community and a neighbor from whom you can ask for a cup of milk. The kit is our way of telling the families, 'We are with you,' and providing them with a soft layer of support during the moving and challenging moment of returning home."