Degania (also spelled "Deganya") was the first kibbutz. It was founded in 1909 by ten men and two women led by Joseph Baratz. The land had previously been owned by a Persian family resident in Beirut. Despite its small size, Degania has been home to many famous Israelis and members of the pre-state yishuv. The poet Rachel , the "prophet of labor" A.D. Gordon , and Joseph Trumpeldor, all worked here. Many early members of Degania left Degania to found other kibbutzim.

Degania exists in two independent kibbutzim - Degania Alef and Degania Bet. Both kibbutzim are along the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Degania, "the mother of kvotzot," in the 1930s.

Technically Degania is a kvutza and not a kibbutz. The distinction comes from its small size. Degania is also distinctive in that children there never slept communally. Children always slept in their parents' quarters.