[Los Angeles Times] Tracy Wilkinson - In the most extensive lethal rocket and mortar barrage of Israel's history, Kiryat Shmona has absorbed the brunt. The shells of cars burned by Hizballah attacks have been shoved to the sides of nearly deserted roads, where the bricks and stones and glass of ruined buildings are scattered. Residents have huddled in stairwells, covered car parks, and basement shelters every time the air-raid sirens wailed - five, six, ten times a day. And yet some of the people of Kiryat Shmona have been trying to carry on with some semblance of a normal life. They are not the emergency workers, whose mission is defined by disaster, but ordinary people whose work these days has involved defying death just to ring up purchases, fill a prescription, pump gas. or deliver a pizza. In times of crisis, these Israelis illustrate the national ethos of perseverance and chutzpah. A local mental health expert calls the residents "islands of resilience" who radiate stability that is good for the entire community.
2006-08-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive