They fought for their home — now they are building it in the Gaza envelope
10 families of reserve soldiers are in the process of moving to Holit, Kerem Shalom, and Sufa. As part of the "Homes for Fighters" pilot, the families will receive a grant of $100,000 to purchase a home in the kibbutz, subject to their acceptance as members.
For the first time since the establishment of the "Homes for Fighters" initiative, the first families of reserve soldiers are setting out and moving to live in the Gaza envelope communities.
10 families of reserve soldiers, who have served thousands of reserve duty days together since October 7, are currently in the process of moving to the kibbutzim of Holit, Kerem Shalom, and Sufa.
This week, the first two families moved to Kibbutz Holit, another family is already living in Kerem Shalom, and additional families are expected to join later.
In the first stage, the families will live in the kibbutzim and integrate into community life. After about a year, and subject to their acceptance as members of the kibbutz and their choice to purchase a home there, the families will be eligible under the pilot for a grant of $100,000 per family, which will serve as equity for the purchase of the home.
The grants were raised by the "Homes for Fighters" initiative from a group of philanthropists from the Jewish community in Chicago, with the goal of helping reserve soldiers deal with one of the main barriers to purchasing a home — the need for significant equity.
Itamar Hayun, founder of "Homes for Fighters", said:
"Until the state wakes up and understands the magnitude of the problem, it is fortunate that we have brothers and sisters in Jewish communities around the world who are stepping up to help. Reserve soldiers who have served hundreds of days cannot be required to bring 400 or 600 thousand shekels of equity just to start thinking about buying a home."
According to him, "This grant is an important bandage that allows us to start acting now — but the goal is a root-cause solution. The State of Israel must take responsibility for its fighters, and we at 'Homes for Fighters' will work to make that happen."
The initiative views the pilot in the Gaza envelope as the first step in a broader model, designed to connect reserve soldiers in need of a housing solution with the strengthening of security-related settlements and communities in the northern and southern regions.
