Wine therapy: Drinking with Gilad Schalit and his girlfriend

Gilad Schalit and his girlfriend, Adi Sigler, speak about finding each other and living an ordinary life in the spotlight.

Gilad Schalit and girlfriend Adi.  (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Gilad Schalit and girlfriend Adi.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
A friend once told me that the central problem in the Middle Eastern conflict is that one side has developed a wine-drinking culture, while for the other, drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited.
Can this tragedy be properly understood? An atmosphere for lightness and humor is absent, so why not provide an opportunity to make a toast and get to know the other side without any agendas? Instead, on one side we have Mr. “Allahu Akbar,” and on the other, Sir “Shema Yisrael.”
I took up this challenge and looked to find someone who knows the other side firsthand. I found Gilad Schalit, the man who has spent the longest amount of time with the Palestinians, during his five years in captivity – apart from US Secretary of State John Kerry, of course. The truth is this was a great excuse to meet Gilad and his partner, Adi Sigler, and get to know them better; this time, without the mediation of Egyptian intelligence.
Objective: Get to know the new life of Schalit and his partner, Adi Sigler.
Means: Wine, Yatir Forest 2008, and an exquisite meat meal in the gourmet Meatos restaurant in Tel Aviv.
Read The Jerusalem Post Magazine special feature and interview.