Sixty is something to look forward to. It can be a new beginning, a time to explore new hobbies, join a like-minded community, and experience resort-style living.
“I have people who are 59 asking me to make an exception, but I tell them no; they have to wait,” said Shira Oren Nahmias, the deputy CEO of Oranim Group, to a group of more than 150 listeners in the auditorium of Sea One, Oranim’s new project.
Sea One is a one-of-a-kind community for residents aged 60 and above located right on the beach in Rishon Letzion. And it really is right on the beach, with no street, parking lot, or commercial center separating the residents from the boardwalk and sand. But this prime location isn’t the only thing that makes it one of a kind. Sea One has introduced a new living concept: Resort living.
Luxury living in Israel has become commonplace, with large luxury towers being built up in all major cities, but Sea One takes luxury living one step further. It isn’t just about high-end décor or views from the higher floors. Resort living is about making daily life feel like a vacation.
Residents live in a resort-style community with all the amenities of a five-star getaway. The resort features a rooftop infinity pool facing the sea, a heated indoor pool decorated with lush tropical foliage with an atrium-like patio; and of course, a walkway that leads directly to all the restaurants and cafes on the beach. Resort living also means residents don’t have to worry about housekeeping and maintenance, while having access to a spa, fitness center, jacuzzi, yoga and Pilates classes, and a private cinema. Between enjoying the amenities, residents attend cultural events and entertainment such as lectures, workshops, film screenings, and even art classes with Sea One’s artist in residence who stays at the residence for a set period to gain inspiration and create art while sharing this inspiration with interested community members.
“We thought about every part of a person’s life,” Oren Nahmias said in an interview with the Times of Israel. “Wellness matters, but so do culture, work, friendship, family, and the freedom to do nothing at all. We wanted residents to have meaningful choices every day.”
One meaningful choice was illuminated at the event held in the Sea One auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 15, when Oren Nahmias addressed the crowd. The event was organized by one of Sea One’s new residents, Suzie Frankel, who moved to the building accompanied by an entire cultural phenomenon.
Often described as a “force of nature,” Suzie is the founder and host of “Suzie’s Salon,” which she started in the living room of her previous residence in Netanya. Suzie dreamed of recreating the European tradition of a literary and artistic salon, where writers, journalists, artists, and other great thinkers gather for a lively evening of discourse. She started with 25 friends getting together and it grew as she hosted prominent thinkers such as Daniel Chertoff, Shai Davidai, and Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. Suzie charges admission to her salon and the proceeds go toward pampering IDF soldiers. She has organized spa days, barbeques, therapy, and other events focused on helping soldiers, rest, recharge, and feel cared for between missions to protect Israel.
When Suzie was considering moving to Sea One, her biggest hesitation was what would happen to her salon? Her events had grown to more than 25 attendees, but most of the attendees were part of her local community in Netanya.
“We suggested to Suzie to bring the event and the community here,” Oren Nahmias of Oranim Group said. “Why not make Suzie’s salon bigger? We could help her have a bigger effect on this cause.”
Suzie liked the idea, and Sea One offered to host the event in their auditorium, a space much larger than the tenants’ lounge she’d been using in her previous residence. Sea One also sent buses to Netanya to bring the long-time supporters of Suzie’s Salon south to Rishon Letzion, and also opened the event to Sea One’s other residents. The result was a full auditorium of people who came to enjoy live music and a dance performance, while donating money to a non-profit organization that Suzie recently partnered with called Loving Lions.
Loving Lions does what Suzie did by bringing soldiers to her building for massages and spa treatments, but on a larger scale. The organization, whose mission is to reduce pain and prevent burn out and PTSD among soldiers, brings spas to the front lines. Founded after the October 7th massacre by Yael Tohar Shany, the organization has deployed more than 1,000 volunteer therapists who travel to Israel’s borders in the north and south, bringing massage tables, ice baths, and other equipment to provide numerous different treatments for soldiers the moment they cross the borders back into Israel. They receive massages, deep tissue treatments, acupuncture, physiotherapy, reflexology, and many other treatments.
At the event at Sea One, Suzie thanked the guests for coming and supporting this noble cause.
“But I have a feeling you came here for another reason tonight,” Suzie suggested during her speech. “To see my new home. As you can see, I am in very good hands.”
Before the speeches and entertainment, attendees were invited to tour Suzie’s new residence. They were shown the amenities and a sample apartment to show potential residents what life could be like.
Every apartment in Sea One faces the sea with large floor to ceiling windows revealing a sprawling view of the waves crashing onto the sand speckled with umbrellas and inviting armchairs. Of note is the design of the apartments, which feature large living rooms and kitchen areas, enabling residents to host their families for Shabbat dinners and holidays.
“We wanted residents to welcome their families here,” Oren Nahmias said in the interview with the Times of Israel. “When you move to Sea One, we want to make sure you are still at the center of your family life. Your family might want to go to the beach, and look, you are right here, able to accommodate them and spend time together.”
Oren Nahmias noted that Sea One offers accommodations for visiting family and friends, because if someone lives in such a beautiful location, chances are they will get many visitors.
It’s not just its proximity to the beach that makes Sea One’s location so central. The residence is also just a short 20-minute drive to Tel Aviv or Ben Gurion Airport and a 45-minute drive from Jerusalem.
This is essential because, as Oren Nahmias noted, while Sea One offers everything residents need on site, they still want to be connected to places and people that matter to them. For instance, going to the theater or other outside cultural events. For some residents, this means still being connected to their careers and jobs.
Today many people choose to remain professionally active long past the age of 60, and moving into Sea One can fully support that. Residents who don’t need to commute to offices have plenty of spaces to use for their professional lives. There are a business lounge, meeting rooms, and workspaces that residents can use when they need a quiet place or to host meetings with colleagues or clients.
Another impressive spot in Sea One is the library, with books stacked and organized on shelves from the floor reaching all the way up several meters to the ceiling.
“We actually tried to leave a lot of space open,” Oren Nahmias said. “Many of our residents come with their own libraries they don’t want to part with. We have space for all of their books here.”
The library has books in different languages, mostly in Hebrew, but also in English, which is the native language of a moderate percentage of residents so far. One of the great benefits of Sea One is how much it caters to non-Hebrew speaking olim who move to Israel later in life.
Suzie, of Suzie’s Salon, for example, made Aliyah on her own 20 years ago. She faced her own challenges then and noted how much easier it would have been to make Aliyah at 60 straight to Sea One.
“Sea One can provide a soft landing for people making Aliyah,” Oren Nahmias said. “Making Aliyah can be overwhelming. There are practical challenges, a new language, the need to build a social circle. At Sea One, residents can move into a welcoming environment where everyday arrangements are taken care of and there are opportunities to connect through an active members’ club, including English-speaking activities. This can make the transition to life in Israel much easier.”
This addresses one of the greatest challenges for olim and even locals looking to restart their lives over 60. Oren Nahmias said she noticed this struggle with her own parents who moved to a beachfront property in their 60s. At first, it was a dream come true, but her parents had left a community and found themselves not knowing anyone in their building. Oren Nahmias noticed this same phenomenon at Oranim Group’s other luxury living spaces in Tel Aviv, where older residents would come to live out their dreams, but find themselves feeling lonely.
Because of this, she was inspired to create a community for residents. Sea One isn’t simply a living space. Rather it includes opportunities to connect in every corner.
Oren Nahmias also mentioned the tax and financial benefits of making Aliyah to a place like Sea One. If someone moving to Israel purchased their own home, they would be liable for purchase taxes, agent fees, and other expenses that come with buying real estate. At Sea One, while residents are still purchasing their apartments, they aren’t liable for real estate expenses. There are no purchase taxes or agent fees.
Furthermore, Sea One offers much more flexibility than real estate. For example, if someone making Aliyah were to buy an apartment or house and changed their mind, they would be stuck trying to sell their apartment and then be liable for more agent fees and taxes after a sale, which could take months or longer. With Sea One, residents don’t need to worry about any of that. If they decide Sea One isn’t right for them, all they need to do is give 90 days’ notice and they’ll receive a prorated amount of their deposit back.
Sea One is still a very new residence, its doors only opened a few months ago for residents to move in. But so far, the community seems to be thriving, and many are saying moving in has been one of the best decisions of their lives.
“They only regret they didn’t move in sooner,” Oren Nahmias noted. Anyone interested in learning more about Sea One is invited to contact them.