Israelis get creative in coping with rocket threat

'Resilience can also be catchy'
In Beersheba, the largest city in southern Israel, which was attacked by missiles for the first time Tuesday, residents are slowly adjusting to their new reality. The local theater was evacuated and closed after a rocket hit nearby about 30 minutes into a performance Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, a missile slammed through the roof of an empty school in Beersheba. An order to close schools in the city had been issued just the night before.

Judith Stanglet, a Beersheba-based psychotherapist, said she has been dealing mostly with clients canceling their appointments.

She has worked with trauma victims in the rocket-plagued border town of Sderot in recent years, and says creative coping mechanisms are a natural reaction of people under siege.

"I think this shows the resilience that people have," she said. "Just like trauma can be catchy, resilience can also be catchy."

In Sderot, pizza shop owner Raz Elraz has even made it profitable. His rocket-shaped pizzas have been a hit, making him one of the few businesses to flourish in the town.

Eliav, the newlywed, also didn't give in to despair.

When she got word the night before her wedding that her banquet hall was shut down, she found a new venue near Tel Aviv and methodically informed 500-plus guests.

"Our friends got together and we just called everyone with the new location of the party. It was like a military operation," she said.

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