After weeks of non-stop knife attacks, the mood in Jerusalem is grim. But many Jerusalemites are finding ways to respond proactively to the mood of terror in the city. They’re stocking up on pepper spray and signing up for martial arts classes, proving their desire to keep right on living in the nation’s heart.

Roi Walther, with Royce Gracie jiu jitsu, led a seminar Oct. 12 in Jerusalem’s Sacher Park. His goal was to give participants “the courage to walk on the streets… They know what to do if something happens.”

Walther offers a common-sense approach. The minute you identify that an attacker is approaching, Walther says, “Scream ‘Knife!’ and point at him.”

Pointing is crucial, he says. “You can scream ‘Knife!’ but nobody knows who has a knife. Pointing at the person, you can save others’ lives.”

Don’t back away, he adds. “He’s running forward, you’re running backward. He’s faster.” Instead, focus on breaking the attacker’s hand holding the knife. “Nothing else will work… if you choke him, he will stab you.”

Krav maga, the Israeli martial art, is also taking off. Ruth Kilner, who made aliyah from Scotland 11 years ago, signed up for classes with a group of local women following the Har Nof synagogue attack last year. That attack really hit home, she says. “It’s just so close to our reality.”

Kilner lists two principles to using krav maga in a knife attack. First, “You attack, you don’t defend.” And second, “You attack the hand that’s holding the knife. That’s the dangerous bit. You can beat on someone’s chest as long as you want, but if he’s stabbing you with a knife, there’s only so long you can last.”

She also carries pepper spray when she travels outside her neighbourhood, though that’s rare now. “I’m not leaving Ramot if I can help it. We’re trying to just stay close to home.”

An ultra-marathon runner, Kilner bought the spray to defend herself against wild animals, never dreaming she’d need it so close to home.

Former lone soldier Jeremy Nye has launched an initiative to make pepper spray available at a low cost or free. Following the Har Nof stabbing, he collected donations and distributed 1,000 cans of pepper spray.

Through his website, pepperspray.co.il, he has launched a new fundraising campaign. “We have thousands of messages from people all over the country,” requesting free and subsidized pepper spray, says Nye, a four-year oleh from the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area.

Nye’s site also offers information about where to buy pepper spray throughout the country. But calls from The CJN to Jerusalem-area stores turned up only one that had the spray available. Every other store was out of stock.

While Kilner is sticking close to home, Laurie Tamres, an olah of five years, must travel by bus each day for work. She calls this daily travel a “calculated risk.” “We live with it all the time, but right now it’s at a very heightened level.”

Though she has no choice about whether to travel around the city, she has switched to a different bus stop. “I could catch the 13 bus in several places,” she told The CJN. “I choose to catch it up by the president’s house. It makes sense to me, I know there’s a lot of security around there.” She’s planning to attend a one-day krav maga seminar.

Like Kilner, Tamres also carries pepper spray, upgrading recently from a small key-chain spray to a larger, military-grade spray. “It sprays a lot further… it’s a lot more powerful.”

But it’s not enough just to tuck it in a pocket or backpack. “Even during the day, I have it in my hands. I definitely have it ready to go.”

Few who carry the spray have had to use it. But on Oct. 13, in Jerusalem, civilian Matan Shukrun used his personal pepper spray to help subdue a terrorist who had driven his car into a bus shelter. However, on Oct. 11, three girls were allegedly taken into police custody after spraying an Arab store worker without cause.

Walther cautions against overconfidence in carrying pepper spray. “I’m not a big believer,” he says. A well-known study has shown that when police officers tried to draw a weapon against an attacker less than 10 metres away, they couldn’t. “The only weapon that can work [at that distance] is your body.”

Nye does provide training whenever he gives out pepper spray. He is aware of its limitations, but believes it’s valuable for a sense of security. “That’s very important when people are freaking out and scared.”

However, one former Torontonian, who requested anonymity, remains skeptical. “I think all this pepper spray will make a lot of money for the importers and not help, except to give a dangerous false sense of security.” From videos of attacks, he says it’s clear that few victims have enough warning. “I understand how [pepper spray] could be helpful against a rapist… But there is literally no defence from an Arab coming up from behind or the side.”

Israel’s government announced Oct. 14 that it would loosen the nation’s strict gun-control laws in “high priority” areas, including haredi neighbourhoods of Jerusalem. Since many haredim have never served in the army, they were previously ineligible for gun permits.

Despite the ongoing attacks, Nye loves that “people in this country don’t stop living their lives. I’m seeing videos from all over Jerusalem, showing people on the bus, on the train, singing, cheering. They’re going out and dancing, they’re not going to stay at home. They’re going to keep living their lives no matter what happens, because that’s what we do in Israel.”