I have fond memories from over thirty years ago walking in Jerusalem with my wife Fayge. We would head down King George Street, take a right turn on Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael, stroll through the neighborhood of Shaarei Chesed with its rich history and vibrant activity, and finally arrive at Wolfson Towers to visit our relatives. Now that I am helping overseas buyers purchase second homes and olim buy their primary homes, I am encountering a number of people who inquire about Wolfson Towers. Listening to my clients articulate their needs reminds me of why I was initially attracted to this five-tower complex which contains three hundred apartments and an additional fifty villas.
Wolfson Towers is professionally managed and well maintained, creating a safe and comfortable environment for its residents. The lawns and shrubs are well groomed, the sidewalks are clean of debris and there is parking for the residents. The lobbies are immaculately maintained, offering a welcoming atmosphere, and there are few steps to enter the buildings, allowing relatively easy wheelchair access. In the base of the complex is a shopping center, containing a large supermarket, restaurants, doctors’ offices and various other stores. Neighbors are friendly and welcoming and the Young Israel of Rehavia, also known as Bet Knesset Hanassi, led by Rabbi Berel Wein and Rabbi Eitiel Goldwicht – is one of many synagogues within walking distance. One quickly realizes that this is an urbane, self-contained, user-friendly community.
Entering the apartments, one is immediately drawn – even on the lower floors – to the spectacular views of the Knesset and the Israel Museum to the west and Shaarei Chesed to the east. The apartments have generous dimensions, ranging from 90 meter (approximately 1,000 square foot) two-bedroom units up to 140 meter (over 1,500 square foot) apartments with four bedrooms.
Visiting Wolfson Towers back in 1989, the place felt modern and comfortable. In 2010, it still does, although apartments that are in their original condition (circa early-70s) need to be renovated and updated. The only thing that is lacking, from my perspective, are sukkah balconies. Consequently, the residents of the tower floors (the villas have their own porches) need to build their sukkahs on the ground level or use the communal sukkahs constructed by the management company.
One last and important point: Wolfson Towers is, relative to other neighborhoods where English is spoken, a good buy. Don’t misunderstand me: it’s not cheap. However, in today’s market, one can get good value buying a Wolfson apartment.
Intuitively I always felt very comfortable at Wolfson Towers, and now, years later, having carefully considered its strengths and shortcomings, I consider this community to be an excellent choice for many overseas buyers.
Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gborvick@gmail.com.