Kibbutz Shluchot was established in May of 1948 by immigrants from Austria and Germany, many of whom were Holocaust survivors.  Shluchot was the first kibbutz established after the creation of the state of Israel.  Throughout its existence Shluchot  has absorbed members from various countries such as Poland, Ukraine, England, Canada, South Africa and the United States. These members like its original founders were members of the Religious Zionist Youth Movement, Bnei Akiva.  Shluchot is located South of the city of Bet Shean and west of the Jordanian mountains  at the foothills of the Gilboa mountain range. The communal economy is based on agriculture: a state of the art dairy, one of the largest carrot plants in Israel, poultry and aqua culture. Surrounded by date and citrus orchards, fish ponds and fertile fields the beautifully landscaped kibbutz is one of 16 kibbutzim of the Religious Kibbutz movement. The kibbutz is home to 115 families.