1882
The First Aliyah marks the beginning of the return to the Land of Israel. This group of immigrants, consisting of 35,000 ideologically devoted Jews from Eastern Europe and 2500 from Yemen, laid the foundations for the establishment of the State. By 1903, 28 new moshavot (agricultural communities) had been founded, and 90,000 acres of land had been purchased. However, after this small spurt of immigration, the pioneering drive was temporarily exhausted and a period of stagnation set in.