Israel Services & Professionals Assisted Living & Senior Care

The 11 Best Assisted Living Communities in Israel for English Speakers (2026)

Updated October 2026 · 11 picks

The assisted living communities in Israel with the strongest English-speaking populations are Neve Shalem and Nofei Yerushalayim in Jerusalem, Beth Protea in Herzliya and its sister villages at Bnei Dror and Moshav Shoresh, plus Bayit BaLev in Jerusalem and Elisha Towers in Haifa. English is the deciding variable: in most Israeli residences the programme runs in Hebrew. Eleven, below.

The list at a glance

Neve Shalem Korei HaDorot 27, Arnona, Jerusalem
Nofei Yerushalayim Shachrai 24, Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem
Beth Protea Asher Barosh 5, Herzliya
Protea Village Moshav Bnei Dror, north of Ra'anana
Protea Hills Moshav Shoresh, Jerusalem hills
Bayit BaLev Jerusalem Ben Tzvi 35, Jerusalem
Elisha Towers Yair Katz 12, Central Carmel, Haifa
Nofei HaSharon Netanya
Beit Tovei Ha'ir Malkhei Yisrael 36, Jerusalem
Golden Hill HaHagana 11, French Hill, Jerusalem
Ganei Omer HaAgam 5, Omer, near Beer Sheva

1. Neve Shalem — Korei HaDorot 27, Arnona, Jerusalem

The most English of Israel's residences — a mostly English-speaking community with daily programmes in English, including an ulpan.

Specialty Independent living and aide-supported residents, English-language programmingLanguages English · HebrewBest for English-speaking olim, religious and secular residents, couples

Neve Shalem in Arnona is the clearest answer in the country to the question that matters most to an oleh in their seventies: will the people around me speak my language? Its residents are mostly English speakers, and the daily programme runs in English rather than being translated into it.

It houses both fully independent residents and residents with live-in aides, and takes religious and secular residents together, with shomer Shabbat programming and a daily lunch. The on-site ulpan is a good sign of who it is built for: people who arrived late enough that Hebrew is still work.

Arnona itself is a quiet, well-served south Jerusalem neighbourhood within reach of Talpiot and the city centre, which makes independent living here genuinely independent.

Good to know: Ask to sit in on a weekday programme before deciding. This is the residence where that visit will tell you the most.

Google Maps

2. Nofei Yerushalayim — Shachrai 24, Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem

Bayit Vegan's Anglo-majority residence, with a nursing wing, a synagogue and an outdoor pool on site.

Specialty Independent living plus chronic care on site, synagogue, poolLanguages English · HebrewBest for English-speaking olim, religious and secular, couples with differing care needs

Nofei Yerushalayim sits in Bayit Vegan, the Jerusalem neighbourhood with the deepest concentration of English-speaking religious families, and its own population is mostly English-speaking. It takes both religious and secular residents.

The facilities are among the fullest in Jerusalem — synagogue, gym, outdoor pool, a resident GP and a 24-hour nurse — and it runs weekly English programmes alongside Hebrew tutoring. A shuttle covers the hill, which is steep enough to matter.

Crucially it holds both independent apartments and chronic care, so a move here does not have to be followed by another one. Residents must be independent on entry, which is the standard Israeli rule and the reason people are advised not to leave the decision too late.

Good to know: Entry requires independence, so applying 'when the time comes' often means being turned down. Families who get this right apply early.

Google Maps

3. Beth Protea — Asher Barosh 5, Herzliya

Built by Israel's South African community in 1992 and still the most explicitly Anglo residence in the country.

Specialty Luxury independent apartments, nursing wing, home-care serviceLanguages English · HebrewBest for English-speaking retirees, South African and Anglo olim, couples

Beth Protea was established in Herzliya in 1992 with the backing of the South African community in Israel, and served its first residents' lunch that July. More than three decades on it remains the residence people mean when they say 'the English-speaking one'.

It combines luxury independent apartments with a nursing wing, set in a park of around nineteen dunams in central Herzliya — walking distance to the town rather than isolated on a hilltop, which is a genuine advantage for residents who no longer drive.

Its home-care arm, Protea Home Care, extends the same English-speaking service to older people still living in their own homes across the centre of the country, which is often the step before a move.

Good to know: If a move is premature, ask about Protea Home Care instead — the same organisation supporting you at home is often the better first step.

Google Maps

4. Protea Village — Moshav Bnei Dror, north of Ra'anana

The countryside version of Beth Protea — a garden village in the Sharon with a nursing wing for frail residents.

Specialty Garden-village independent living with a nursing wing for frail residentsLanguages English · HebrewBest for English-speaking retirees in the Sharon, families nearby, frail residents

Protea Village sits on Moshav Bnei Dror just north of Ra'anana, and offers the same English-speaking proposition as its Herzliya sister in a rural setting: luxury apartments in a park of around sixteen dunams, with a nursing wing for residents who are physically or cognitively frail.

The Sharon location puts it inside the Ra'anana, Kfar Saba and Hod HaSharon Anglo belt, which means children and grandchildren are frequently a fifteen-minute drive away rather than across the country — the single most underrated factor in choosing a residence.

The trade-off against central Herzliya is the one you would expect: more garden, more quiet, less walking to anything, more dependence on the shuttle and on family.

Good to know: Visit twice, once on a weekday and once on a Friday. Rural residences feel very different when the staff numbers drop.

Google Maps

5. Protea Hills — Moshav Shoresh, Jerusalem hills

A 297-unit retirement village in the Jerusalem hills with an English-speaking population and a shuttle into the city.

Specialty Large retirement village with assisted living and nursing care, 297 unitsLanguages English · HebrewBest for English speakers wanting space and quiet within reach of Jerusalem

Protea Hills is at Moshav Shoresh in the hills between Jerusalem and the coast — the largest of the Protea communities, with around 297 units covering retirement living, assisted living and nursing care on one site.

It has an established English-speaking population and runs a regular shuttle into Jerusalem, which is what makes the location workable rather than remote: twenty-five minutes to the city, with pine forest and hill air instead of urban Jerusalem.

The scale is its advantage. A village of that size can sustain a real programme of activities and a full care spectrum, where smaller residences depend heavily on who happens to be living there this year.

Good to know: Check the shuttle timetable against the appointments you actually keep — hospital, family, synagogue. It determines how independent life here really is.

Google Maps

6. Bayit BaLev Jerusalem — Ben Tzvi 35, Jerusalem

Maccabi's Jerusalem residence — English speakers, English programmes, a resident GP and a Maccabi member discount.

Specialty Independent living with resident GP, 24-hour nurse and social workerLanguages English · HebrewBest for Independent seniors, Maccabi members, religious and secular residents

Bayit BaLev is the senior living chain associated with Maccabi Healthcare Services, and its Jerusalem residence on Ben Tzvi Boulevard is the strongest of the chain for English speakers: there is an English-speaking cohort among the residents and programmes run in English alongside the Hebrew ones.

The medical arrangement is the real draw. A resident GP, a 24-hour nurse and a social worker on site, with the backing of a national health fund behind them, is a different proposition from a residence that calls a doctor when required — and Maccabi members have been offered a discount on the fees.

It takes religious and secular residents together and runs shomer Shabbat programming, which in central Jerusalem is close to a requirement rather than a feature.

Good to know: If you are a Maccabi member, ask about the member discount explicitly — it has been around 5% and is not always volunteered.

Google Maps

7. Elisha Towers — Yair Katz 12, Central Carmel, Haifa

Haifa's luxury Carmel residence, with English speakers and the best views of any on this list.

Specialty Luxury independent living, pool, restaurant, activities programmeLanguages English · HebrewBest for English speakers in the north, retirees wanting value and a view

Elisha Towers sits in Central Carmel, the most desirable part of Haifa, and is the city's luxury senior residence: a pool, a restaurant, a full activities programme and an English-speaking contingent among the residents.

Haifa is the quiet case for retirement in Israel. It is considerably cheaper than Jerusalem or the Sharon, it has a long-established Anglo and Central European population, the medical infrastructure is excellent — Rambam and Carmel hospitals are both here — and the Carmel is cool in summer in a way the coastal plain is not.

Central Carmel also means shops, cafes and the Baha'i gardens are walkable, which keeps independent living meaningful.

Good to know: Compare the total cost against an equivalent Sharon residence. Haifa commonly comes in meaningfully lower for a comparable standard.

Google Maps

8. Nofei HaSharon — Netanya

An urban Netanya residence with English speakers and English activities, in the most Anglo-and-French city on the coast.

Specialty Urban independent living, 1–2 room units, English activitiesLanguages English · Hebrew · FrenchBest for English and French-speaking retirees in Netanya, people downsizing

Nofei HaSharon is a compact urban residence in Netanya with around 108 one- and two-room units, and it lists both English-speaking residents and activities in English.

Netanya is the obvious city for this list that people outside Israel overlook. It has large British, American, South African and French retirement communities, thirteen kilometres of cliff-top beach, a flat and walkable centre, and prices well below Herzliya or Ra'anana.

The units are small, which is the trade for the location and the cost — it is a residence for one person or a couple downsizing decisively, not for keeping a household.

Good to know: Walk the route from the building to the promenade and the supermarket before you decide. In Netanya that walk is the main thing you are buying.

Google Maps

9. Beit Tovei Ha'ir — Malkhei Yisrael 36, Jerusalem

The choice for a Charedi resident — the most comprehensively religious residence in Israel, with full chronic and dementia care.

Specialty Luxury Charedi assisted living, chronic care, dementia programmesLanguages Hebrew · Yiddish · EnglishBest for Charedi and Torani seniors, residents needing full nursing care

Beit Tovei Ha'ir on Malkhei Yisrael presents itself as Israel's most luxurious assisted living community for Torani seniors, and says it has led the field for over twenty years. Its population is predominantly Charedi, and the programming is overwhelmingly religious.

On facilities and care it is at the top of the market: a full medical team, chronic care, dedicated dementia programmes, hourly aides available, a pool, gym and sauna, and a large supermarket on site — which in Geula, where the streets are crowded and the shops small, is a significant practical advantage.

English speakers are a minority here, so this is a residence chosen for religious fit rather than for language. For a Charedi oleh whose Hebrew and Yiddish are sound, that is the right trade.

Good to know: Choose this one for religious environment and care quality. If English-language company is the priority, Neve Shalem or Nofei Yerushalayim fit better.

Google Maps Website

10. Golden Hill — HaHagana 11, French Hill, Jerusalem

A small French Hill residence suited to someone arriving with a live-in aide already in place.

Specialty Small residence for seniors with live-in aides, daily main mealLanguages English · HebrewBest for Residents with a full-time carer, families arranging care from abroad

Golden Hill on French Hill is a small residence of around seventy residents, most of whom have live-in aides, with some English speakers among them and an English-language roundtable twice a week.

That profile makes it a specific rather than a general recommendation: it suits an older person who already needs, or will soon need, a full-time carer, and whose family wants them in a supported building rather than an apartment. It is less suited to a vigorous seventy-year-old looking for a community.

It serves a daily main meal and a Friday night kiddush, but does not run Shabbat programming, so Shabbat here depends on family and on the neighbourhood.

Good to know: Ask specifically how Shabbat works, and who is on site — there is no Shabbat programme, which some families only discover after moving in.

Google Maps

11. Ganei Omer — HaAgam 5, Omer, near Beer Sheva

The southern option — single-storey homes you own outright, with an active English-speaking group.

Specialty Owner-occupied single-storey units with 24-hour security and maintenanceLanguages English · HebrewBest for English-speaking retirees in the Negev, people who want to own rather than deposit

Ganei Omer is laid out differently from everything else on this list: around 105 single-storey buildings holding some 212 units in the affluent town of Omer, just outside Beer Sheva, with residents owning their units and paying a monthly maintenance charge rather than a deposit-and-fee contract.

It has many English-speaking residents and runs activities for them, and the ownership model appeals to people who want an asset to leave rather than a declining refund — though it also means you are responsible for selling it when the time comes.

Omer is quiet, green and well-off, Soroka hospital is nearby, and the whole thing costs a fraction of the Sharon. The limitation is the obvious one: if your children are in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, this is an hour and a half away.

Good to know: Because you buy the unit, have the resale conditions and the maintenance-fee escalation checked by a lawyer — those are the two numbers that decide what this really costs.

Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

What is diur mugan, and how is it different from a nursing home?

Diur mugan — literally 'protected housing' — is Israel's term for independent senior living with services: your own apartment, meals, security, activities and an on-site medical presence, but you look after yourself. Beit avot is a care home, and siudi is full nursing care. Most of the good residences hold all three on one site, which matters enormously: it means a couple can stay together when one of them needs more care than the other.

How much does assisted living in Israel cost?

Two numbers, and they work differently. There is an entry deposit — often several hundred thousand shekels and in the better central residences upwards of a million — which is partly refundable on a declining scale, and then a monthly fee of roughly ₪5,000–₪9,000 for independent living. Supportive and nursing care is billed separately and can reach around ₪17,000 a month. Directory figures date quickly, so get the current contract terms in writing.

Is the deposit refundable if you leave or die?

Partly, and the formula is the single most important thing in the contract. Most Israeli residences refund the deposit on a sliding scale that reduces over a fixed number of years, after which little or nothing comes back. Before you sign, have an Israeli lawyer who does this work read the refund clause, the fee-escalation clause and what happens if you need to move from independent to nursing care.

Do you need to be an Israeli citizen or on a kupat holim?

You do not need citizenship to live in a private residence, but you do need health cover, and that is the practical constraint. New olim join a kupat holim on arrival; non-citizens need private insurance, which for an older applicant can be expensive or unavailable. Sort the health cover before you choose the residence, not after.

Which Israeli cities have the biggest English-speaking retirement populations?

Jerusalem first — Bayit Vegan, Arnona, Talpiot, French Hill and Ramat Eshkol all have residences with Anglo majorities or large minorities. Then the Sharon coast: Herzliya, Ra'anana, Kfar Saba and Netanya, where the South African, British and American communities concentrate. Haifa's Carmel has a long-established Anglo and Central European population, and Beer Sheva and Omer have small but active English-speaking groups.

What should you ask on a tour?

Four things people forget. What language the daily programme actually runs in, as opposed to whether anyone speaks English. Whether there is a nursing wing on site and whether you have a right to a place in it. How Shabbat and kashrut are handled, in detail, including Friday night and whether there is a minyan. And what the staff-to-resident ratio is at night, which is when it matters.

1. Neve Shalem — Korei HaDorot 27, Arnona, Jerusalem

2. Nofei Yerushalayim — Shachrai 24, Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem

3. Beth Protea — Asher Barosh 5, Herzliya

4. Protea Village — Moshav Bnei Dror, north of Ra'anana

5. Protea Hills — Moshav Shoresh, Jerusalem hills

6. Bayit BaLev Jerusalem — Ben Tzvi 35, Jerusalem

7. Elisha Towers — Yair Katz 12, Central Carmel, Haifa

8. Nofei HaSharon — Netanya

9. Beit Tovei Ha'ir — Malkhei Yisrael 36, Jerusalem

10. Golden Hill — HaHagana 11, French Hill, Jerusalem

11. Ganei Omer — HaAgam 5, Omer, near Beer Sheva

Frequently asked questions

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