Life in a retirement home is fine, they say – many interesting lectures and study groups, a great swimming pool and well-equipped gym.
By GLORIA DEUTSCHThe tables and chairs are Chinese rosewood, furniture the couple acquired in the US in the ‘70s.(photo credit: URIEL MESSA)
The Feinsteins, Naomi and Norman, have moved several times since they made aliya in 1972. Each time they downsized a little bit more, until, six years ago, they decided to relocate to Nordiya Retirement Home just outside Netanya.Having lived in several large houses up till now, including one in Mevaseret Zion and another in Givat Ada, they now find themselves in a small apartment which is relatively large by retirement-home standards. They can look back on 43 interesting years here, since they came as a couple from their New Jersey home all those decades ago.Norman worked in his profession as an accountant, but as Naomi would have had to requalify to use her degree in medical technology, she instead went to work in an art gallery.“I got a job in the gallery next door to the King David Hotel in Jerusalem,” she says. “I worked there for several years and was there when [Egyptian president Anwar] Sadat came to visit,” she recalls. Later she worked in a gallery in Tel Aviv.They eventually moved to Netanya to be near elderly parents.When they decided to move to a retirement home, Naomi was able to exercise her talents as a designer.“I’ve never studied, but it’s something I love to do,” she says. “I like the simple and ‘less is more’ look, but don’t go for the totally minimalistic style – I find it too sterile,” she says.The couple owned many artworks but had to distribute them among their children for lack of space.“Because of the small amount of room available for hanging pictures, I felt I couldn’t hang the work of different artists together, so I decided I must choose one artist,” she says. The lucky artist to be chosen was Boris Leifer, whom she had met while working in the gallery.A prolific painter who is well-known in Russia, he moved to Israel and his work hangs in the Israel Museum, several prestigious galleries in Russia and in Chicago amongst others. The Feinsteins particularly like his flower paintings and have several around the apartment.The couple looked at the mini-apartments that were for sale in Nordiya and decided to buy two, side by side, and make one larger, 80-square-meter apartment. This meant two bathrooms and four toilets. Two of the toilets were transformed, one into a larder, and one a linen closet. The extra kitchen became the dining room.For furnishing they decided that the Chinese rosewood they had acquired back in 1973 would do very well as it showed very few signs of age. Back in the ’70s it was very popular and has certainly withstood the test of time.They had to buy a new sofa as the one they had was too big.The grandmother clock against one wall is a special feature and a talking point as they feel it is quite rare.“We got it when we lived in the States and loved the detail of the design at the top,” says Naomi. “We took it to Suzannah in Ra’anana – she specializes in old watches and clocks – and we had it tuned and overhauled.It makes a beautiful sound.”The clock, originally mahogany, was painted in black lacquer so it would fit into any décor, and still keeps good time. It is one of the few really old things they still possess as most of the flat is furnished with modern fittings, especially the lights, which are super contemporary, consisting mainly of stainless-steel rectangles.But they do have two vitrines filled with antiques and souvenirs of their travels.The bedroom is very small, says Naomi – just enough room for a double bed and an all-important armchair in peach shaded leather which she finds very comfortable to sit in and read. A tapestry flower picture hangs above the bed.The compact kitchen includes an island with a separate jutting out peninsula, perfect for morning coffee – and The Jerusalem Post! There is plenty of room for a large refrigerator and working surfaces.The apartment has a small balcony off the lounge where they can sit and survey the countryside around them, enjoying a bonsai tree and bamboo plant sharing the space with them.Life in a retirement home is fine, they say – many interesting lectures and study groups, a great swimming pool and well-equipped gym. And, they might have added, a comfortable and attractive home to enjoy every day, full of art and warm memories.
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