Startups are taking all kinds of shape in the startup nation. Much like the co-working spaces which have sprung up across the world, a new conscious community cooperative is following suit in the form of an elderly co-living space in Israel. For a group of about thirty people between the ages of 50 – 75, they are taking what they call “the third stage” into their wise and well-meaning hands.
When a few couples began talking about getting older in Israel, the idea arose, and now the small team is basing their new community on the values of being social, living a Jewish lifestyle, tolerance and equality. The current community of elderly Israeli citizens are mostly English-speaking, though all are welcome, and are searching for a viable and existent long-term option to inhabit while also building a financial model and flushing out community by-laws and guidelines. The group does not need to be taken care of but is aware of what the aging process means, and so know they will need to remain close to public transport, health care clinics and the like.
The biggest danger of old age is loneliness, and this community cooperative aims to provide a social atmosphere for those who desire more than moving to an old age home. The team is working with an adviser as they are building the first model of its kind for cooperative housing in Israel, who is also advising ten other groups on a similar process. The desire for communal living sans government involvement is proof that the Israeli community is taking a turn towards the future, where cooperation and community matters to the people, from start to finish.
