How It All Began

Kfar Tikva was established in 1964 by Dr Siegfried Hirsch (1899-1987) a German Jewish agronomist who moved to Israel in 1930 .  He selected the current  location of Kfar Tikva, on a scenic hilltop overlooking the Jezreel Valley.  The village was built on the ruins .of a defunct kibbutz called Givat Zaid  that had been founded by South American Jews and had existed from 1940-1958.

 Dr Hirsch founded Kfar Tikva after searching for a home and community for his step daughter with developmental disabilities. Dr Hirsch was looking for something novel at the time: A place where people with disabilities could live active, productive lives filled with opportunities for personal growth, community camaraderie and meaningful opportunities to integrate with the community at large.  Since no such community existed at that time, Dr Hirsch and his supporters founded Kfar Tikva.  Kfar Tikva has grown and evolved significantly from those early years, but we have carried Dr Hirsch’s vision forward to today and it remains the guiding principles of the unique community that is Kfar Tikva.

Today, more than 220 adults, aged 20 -120,  with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities call Kfar Tikva home.  As originally envisioned by Dr Hirsch; a therapeutic and rehabilitative approach is integrated into the care, services and activities provided at Kfar Tikva including living arrangements that are adapted to the varying and changing needs of the residents, at every life stage.