Sukkot in Elazar/Gilad Schalit's Return - October 18

On Tuesday, October 18, Rafi and I made our way to the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem and caught a bus to Elazar, just outside of the City. We were on our way to have dinner in the Sukkah with Zev and Lee Kesselman from Scrabble Club. They met us when we arrived at the gate to their yishuv and walked us up the hill to their home, a large house much bigger than any we have seen in Jerusalem. In fact, all of the houses in their area seem quite large.
Zev, Lee, Rafi, and I all hopped into the Kesselmans' car for a tour of the area. Zev and Lee took us around their area of Elazar and to the neighboring community of Efrat. They pointed out synagogues, their children's homes, and other important monuments. We received a tour of the grand house one of their daughter's is building two minutes away from their own house. They also drove us to the opening of Bethlehem, very near their own yishuv. Outside of Bethlehem there are soldiers guarding the area and checking cars. They told us that this is a dangerous area that we should avoid as Jews.

Back safe and sound in their own community, we were served dinner in the Sukkah, joined by their daughters, and grandchildren. One of their sons, Dov, stopped by as well. The food was fantastic as Lee is a great chef - she even used to have her own take-out business with two friends! After dinner and schmoozing, Rafi and I crossed the street to schmooze with another fellow Scrabble player who lives in the same community as the Kesselmans. There, Aryeh showed us his prized ship collections. It is a vast collection of naval miniatures that he collects and paints. It is quite extensive, covering the greater portion of an entire wall, floor to ceiling. After this, we returned to the Kesselman's to watch some television - the news was showing clips and bits about Gilad Schalit's return that day. All of Israel was plugged in and talking about this.
We returned home after watching the news. Zev and Lee were wonderful hosts and even gave us a ride home so that we would not have to wait for the bus. It was yet another great day in the sukkah!