New Years' 2009: Celebrating despite the rockets

Despite the security warnings issued by the Home Front Command, fear of rocket attacks and the fact that many events were cancelled due to Operation Cast Lead, many entertainment spots in the southern Isreal decided not to forgo Wednesday night's New Years' revelries. Party-goers in the south did not disappoint and showed up en masse.

Club Draft, which on a typical night hosts hundreds of young partiers, refused to let the rocket barrages from the Gaza Strip to spoil the festivities: "At first I was concerned that people wouldn't show up for the New Years' party. A few indeed did – about 150 people. On a night like this, there are usually three times as many people at the bar," Yossi Schwartz, one of the bar's owners, told Ynet.

Even for the partiers that did come out to celebrate, the festivities weren't without glitches.

"They partied here until 3 am, but there were two sirens during the dancing, one at 10 pm, and the next close to midnight just before the countdown and some of the people went to the secure area," Schwartz said. "You can call it funny, surreal, whatever you want."

New Years' celebrations in Beersheba continue despite threats of rockets (Photo: Haim Hornstein)

In the restaurant Schwartz owns revelers also stayed on until the wee hours of the night. "We celebrated the way you would normally celebrate in a restaurant – with good food and champagne. I was glad to see that people didn't give up and showed up. I think there is value given to maintaining routine and joie de vivre. That's what they want, after all, but you can't beat down our spirit, derail our way of life," he said.

Among the revelers who ignored the rockets and decided to leave their houses to celebrate the New Year was Liat Buhanik, a 25-year-old resident of Beersheba: "I think I decided to go out because I have been studying in Sderot for two years now, so I'm already used to this situation. You could say that I have learned how to protect myself, physically and mentally, from all of these things."

The only place that Schwartz was forced to close on instruction of the Home Front Command is one of the most well-known and most veteran party spots in the south, The Forum, which was planning to host thousands of party-goers.

"This place has been around for 20 years already – the oldest in the country. There was supposed to be a party with 3,000 people there, and for the first time in 20 years, there were no New Years' celebrations there. It's a shame, but at least we celebrated in other locations," Schwartz explained.

While some people in the south insisted on going out despite the situation, some people in the center of the country decided to forgo the parties as a sign of solidarity.

"Some of the party offerings seemed very tempting," admitted Nir from Ramat Gan, who decided to make do with a modest champagne toast at home to mark the new year. "But apparently we're not in a bubble. It affects you. You're daily life gets turned for a moment to more important issues, to the very essence of our existence in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beersheba, Yavne, right at our doorstep."

According to him, the decision not to go partying while the communities in the south are living under continual threat is a small gesture that residents of the center of the country can do during these times.

"We decided to stay home. Sure, some people might claim it is self-righteous, some hypocritical attempt at solidarity, but this is the least we can do to bolster morale and to feel that we are doing something that we feel good about," said Nir.