What do you do about an overdraft, how much is the rent, where was the last vacation and which expense do you most regret? People across the country are speaking candidly about their lives, before and amid the war. This time: the Elnekave family from Haifa.
In the photo: Inbal (50), Mai (26). Not pictured: Elia (23).
The apartment? A seven-room house with a view of the wadi and the bay, rented for 5,000 shekels a month.
Inbal: “I’m a real estate woman and I don’t believe in buying a home to live in. I rent a gorgeous place at a return of 1.5 percent, and I own apartments I rent out at a much higher return. It’s a big house because originally there were five of us living here, but my partner was killed in a car accident about ten years ago, and I didn’t want to move. This place makes me feel good despite the memories.”
Mai: “He wasn’t my biological father, but I grew up with him. He was a very special man.”
Inbal: “I’ve been divorced twice and once widowed, but most of the time life is good.”
Real estate? Inbal: “At 20, a few friends and I saw a building for sale in Haifa, and it intrigued me. I didn’t know anything about real estate but started asking around. My friends were afraid to join the deal. I wasn’t. I asked my father to co-sign the mortgage and ended up in a deal involving a building and land for development, and I made 200,000 shekels, which at the time was a lot.
At 24, I bought another apartment in Haifa for $140,000. It was deep in the forest, and I fell in love with it. I gave the seller a 10,000-shekel check but he panicked and said, ‘Bring your husband first.’ I told him, ‘No need. I want the apartment,’ and I bought it. My outlook is that I can’t fall so far that I’d starve. We’ll always manage. My parents aren’t wealthy but they’ll always help if needed. That confidence is in my DNA. Career-wise, I jumped from field to field, but it was always about doing business.”
Business? Inbal: “I had a company that supplied duty-free goods to cruise ships. Eventually, an owner of several ships brought me into his company. He offered a great salary, and I grew into the job and lived partly on the ships. I made a lot but also spent a lot. I live for life, not for savings. My daughters grew up at sea.”
Mai: “As kids, we roamed the ship and knew all the staff. We knew every secret passage. It was like a playground. These ships are enormous, but it was fun.”
Inbal: “That ended one day, and I moved on to the next venture — I bought a fashion retail chain and sold it later for a profit. I’m an entrepreneur and businesswoman. The field doesn’t matter; I learn the matrix, and then the product doesn’t matter. After fashion, I worked as VP of commerce at Dr. Baby because I wanted to develop well-designed baby products. I spent two weeks in China, two in Israel. At the same time, I continued in real estate and entered very large projects. And then came the beach.”
A beach? Inbal: “I run Haifa’s best beach, Cinema Paradiso. Five years ago, it came up for tender and I took it. I have four businesses there with 600 seats — a restaurant, a nightlife bar, a café, a kiosk and a fast-food stand I’m opening. The dream started when I was 18. I bid on a city tender back then and won, but my partners went traveling after the army and it fell apart. I was disappointed but the dream stayed.
Then the tender came up again during COVID. People didn’t want to touch it and said I was crazy. Everyone panicked about COVID, but I knew the beach would be the best place to be. My fantasy was a Tulum-style place with palm trees and lots of wood, and that’s how I designed it. It’s a beautiful beach. I also own a real estate company in Paphos and specialize in beachfront properties.”
Money? Inbal: “I’m not a millionaire, but I’m in good shape. I can afford what I want. Money circulates. You need to live and act, not freeze.”
Mai: “Right now, I’m working for my mom. Professionally, it’s a bit embarrassing to say I’m a shift manager at my mom’s restaurant, but I’m figuring out what I truly want to do. There’s something about being between things and seeing what emerges.”
Your leisure time? Inbal: “I’m a workaholic but I enjoy it. I get up at 8 and head to the beach, which is my office. Meetings, friends, hosting — everything happens at the beach. For fun, I love good food, going out, good parties. I even brought friends from the nightlife world and Midburn into the beach partnership to make it a top destination.”
Midburn? “In our camp, we have the best setup. It’s a camp of clubbers and music, and we bring DJs. It’s not only parties — it’s wonderful people who build a city in the desert for a week. An incredible experience. The foundation is community, being together, living together.”
A partner? Inbal: “When it comes, it comes. People tell me men don’t like strong women. I don’t respond to people who send me a ‘hey’ on Instagram — too cheap. I’m a romantic. A friend of mine, a CEO, told me he went to a matchmaker, paid her 5,000 shekels, and she set him up with exactly the dates he wanted. Apparently, this exists, and it’s exactly what I need because I have minimum criteria. At the very least, he needs to have his own home and grown children. A matchmaker can filter the candidates.”