RAGE ROCKS HEBRON
by Kathleen Kern
As this issue goes to print, violence continues to escalate in Hebron
and throughout the Occupied Territories and Israel. Following are
portions of an October 15 letter to Kathleen’s family and friends.
The violence of the last few weeks has affected everyone here that we
know and love.
The brother of one of our Campaign for Secure Dwellings (CSD) families
was shot and killed by settlers from Beit Haggai, the settlement closest
to Al Sendas mountain where many of our CSD families live.
The brother of Tarik, one of our CSD translators, was seriously wounded
by snipers. From his brother's bedside in a Jerusalem hospital, Tarik told
us, "You know I have always been for peace...Use my name and tell everyone
I am not for peace anymore. You have to see what I am seeing here,"
he said, referring to the wounded persons streaming into the hospital's
emergency room. "Then you would understand."
The neighbor of one of our first friends here in Hebron was shot in
the back with a dum dum bullet (which explodes on impact.) A father
of three, he had left the Al-Andalus mall because he thought the rock throwing
and shooting were all over and it was safe to go out. He could have
been saved, but the military would not let an ambulance bringing blood
from Ramallah through.
Hani Abu Heikal, yet another old friend, was with him and was shot in
the foot. We ran into him yesterday, limping and delivering coffee.
He said that the soldiers must have put silencers on their guns because
he heard nothing before he felt the pain in his foot. Every
night there are barrages of gunfire into the Hart iSheik and Abu Sneineh
neighborhoods. Helicopters circle above without lights on targeting
anything that moves (which is how Tarik's brother got shot.) There
are Palestinian gunmen in these neighborhoods shooting down into the settlements
and soldiers’ camps as well, so what it sounds like here is 4 or 5 "pops"
and then fifteen minutes of automatic weapons and missiles from the Israelis.
People are deeply, deeply wounded and angry about the comments of Madeline
Albright and company defending Israel's right to bomb Palestinian cities
in retaliation for three soldiers getting killed. "They said it was a warning,"
one friend said. "What kind of warning is that? We don't have
the capacity to bomb their towns, to put all Israelis under curfew, to
punish entire cities for the actions of a few. We have had 90 people killed!
Why are there lives not worth the same response as three soldiers?"
Our Israeli friends are feeling helpless as they watch their government
bomb and destroy cities and relationships. Some have been keeping
vigil outside Barak's house demanding an end to Israeli retaliation.
Picture: Israeli soldier views burning tires and rock-littered street
in Hebron
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A recent team worship focused on the passage from Amos 5:24: "Let justice
roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream."
Teammate Anita Fast reflected that it’s a scary image. Justice is
like a flash flood causing chaos and destruction in its path. Maybe
that is the way to look at the recent violence. The false peace of
the Oslo Accords which institutionalized Israeli economic, political and
military hegemony of the region and facilitated the ongoing confiscation
of land, had to be crushed and destroyed and swept away.
Please lift up those who mourn in prayer, both Palestinians and Israelis.
Pray for justice to sweep away the occupation and the politicians for whom
polls are more important than human lives, for there to be a renewal
of hope and dignity among Palestinians, and for our team to be in the right
place at the right time.
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HEBRON DAY BY DAY
Hebron is a divided city with 20% – the Old City where some 400 Israeli
settlers and 35,000 Palestinians live – under Israeli control (H2) and
80% with 105,000 Palestinian residents under Palestinian administration
(H1). CPT’s apartment is located in H2. The team sent daily
reports of events in Hebron during the recent outbreak of violence.
These are just a few entries.
Wednesday, October 4 – At 9:00pm round upon round of machine
gun fire shattered the silence. Israeli soldiers fired from the roof?tops
on either side of the CPT apartment. The team sat huddled on the
kitchen floor during 20 minutes of shooting. Later the team learned
that Israeli soldiers had opened fire on the hill across from the CPT apartment
after a Palestinian man fired into the Israeli-controlled H2. Israeli
soldiers riddled the houses with bullets. The Palestinian man was killed
and six other Palestinian civilians were injured.
Sunday, October 8 – When asked whether his family had enough
food, a Palestinian doctor replied, “Food?! Food isn’t the problem.
The problem is the soldiers on our roof! They shoot all night and
the children can’t sleep. They are afraid! No one should have
to live like this!”
Monday, October 9 – The Hebron municipality tried to deliver
food to poor families living under 24?hour?a?day curfew, but Israeli soldiers
would not allow it. CPTers took pictures and talked with the soldiers
until they allowed the municipality to pass. A Palestinian family
showed CPTers a “necklace” made out of a hundred M?16 shells, all of which
fell into their courtyard from Israeli soldiers stationed on the roof of
their home.
Thursday, October 12 – The team heard periodic bursts of automatic
weapons fire and saw bright red flashes of tracer bullets shooting from
soldiers' outposts into the Abu Sneineh hills, 150 yards from the CPT apartment.
Saturday, October 14 – The team spoke with young men at a clash
who were enraged by the situation and hostile toward the American members
of the team. One said that he once had believed that nonviolence
was the way to resist the Israeli occupation, but no longer.
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SHABBAT SHALOM?
NOT IN HEBRON!
by Bob Holmes
When I arrived in Hebron during the worst summer of street violence
since the CPT project started five years ago, the Israeli settlers' greeting
for a peaceful Sabbath – "Shabbat Shalom" – rang hollow. For
weeks, the Sabbath (Shabbat) had been the occasion for settler violence
in Hebron, set off by an alleged sexual assault on a young settler woman
by a Palestinian man in July. Large numbers of settlers marched to
the Tomb of Abraham, throwing stones and vandalizing parked cars.
The next Shabbat, 30 Yeshiva students started pushing Palestinian boys
on Shuhada Street. CPTers Grace Boyer and Sara Reschly were spit
on, called Nazis and had a glass bottle thrown at them when they intervened.
One day Reservist Jeremy Bergen called in from street patrol.
"I've just been attacked by settlers," he said. About 100 Israeli settlers
were gathered on the street taunting Palestinians in the market.
My teammates were penned in by aggressive Israeli soldiers. Vegetables
were thrown in both directions. Settlers walked freely on the street,
hurling verbal insults, telling the Palestinians to get out of Hebron.
Palestinians, barricaded inside the market, shouted back. Soldiers
grabbed an angry Palestinian man, dragged him over the barricade and arrested
him. CPTers Natasha Krahn and Bergen were pushed to the ground along
with several Palestinians as soldiers forced the crowd back with their
guns.
We realized that getting in between the soldiers and agitated Palestinians
could reduce this violence, and in many instances it worked. However,
for three hours the settlers remained on the street and we in the market.
This lack of a peaceful Sabbath prompted the Hebron team to fast and
pray on Saturdays for six weeks starting September 23 through October 28.
Members of CPT-Hebron July through
October were: Nait Alleman (Grove City, PA), Jeremy Bergen (Etobicoke, ON),
Jamey Bouwmeester (Elgin, IL), Grace Boyer (Hampton, VA), Anita Fast (Vancouver,
BC), Andrew Getman (Washington, DC), Michael Goode (Washington, DC), Bob Holmes
(Toronto, ON), Kathy Kamphoefner (North Manchester, IN), Bourke Kennedy (Skaneateles,
NY), Kathleen Kern (Webseter, NY), Natasha Krahn (Waterloo, ON), Rich Meyer
(Millersburg, IN), Paul Pierce (North Manchester, IN), Sara Reschly (South Bend,
IN), Dianne Roe (Corning, NY), Jim Satterwhite (Bluffton, OH) and Gene Stoltzfus
(Chicago, IL).
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HEBRON: PLANTING
PRAYERS FOR PEACE
by Rachel Beth Miller
On July 29, six CPT delegation members along with the Hebron team witnessed
against the construction of 200 new homes in the Israeli settlement of
Harsina, overlooking the Beqa'a Valley east of Hebron. With stones
taken from a Palestinian home demolished there in 1996, we built a circular
terrace and planted a small plum tree. “Settlement Expansion Demolishes
the Road to Peace,” our banner proclaimed from a nearby retaining wall.
On this dry, rocky hillside, every tree and every patch of green
reflects the love and attention its Palestinian residents give to the land.
Our CPT witness gave us the chance to honor that deep sense of rootedness.
Moreover, it was a cry against the systematic expansion of Israeli settlements
in the West Bank, which leaves in its path demolished Palestinian homes,
confiscated land, and hearts hardened by injustice. Delegation
participants were Don Holsinger (Edmonds, WA), Sarah Koehn (Dighton, KS),
John Marks (Portland,OR), Rachel Miller (Dallas, TX), Al Neufeld
(Moundridge, KS), and Luke Stocking (Toronto,ON).
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STRUGGLES IN THE MIRROR
by Jamey Bouwmeester
Esgenoôpetitj (Burnt Church), New Brunswick – Standing on the
wharf, an Esgenoôpetitj (es-guh-NO-buh-ditch) community member looked
out across the waters of Miramichi Bay at the buoys that mark the community’s
lobster traps. “Sometimes I imagine what it would be like if we could
fish in peace,” she said thoughtfully. “If we didn’t always have
to look over our shoulders to make sure the DFO (Department of Fisheries
and Oceans) aren’t there. This could be a beautiful place.”
In my mind I’m transported halfway across the world to the Beqa’a valley
outside of Hebron. Sitting under a fig tree and watching the sun
set, a Palestinian man beside me says things almost identical to those
I’ve just heard on the wharf. “Before they built the bypass road
there were never soldiers here; now there’s a patrol every few minutes.
When we sat under my brother’s trees it was like a garden in a dream; now
they’ve bulldozed those too. This could be paradise if they’d just
leave us alone.”
After spending more than two years with CPT in Hebron, I joined the
New Brunswick project this fall. I was looking for a change of scenery
and I certainly got one. One doesn’t have to look far to find vast
differences between Maritime Canada and the Middle East. However,
it’s been the similarities that have struck me most profoundly.
In Hebron a few hundred Israeli settlers, with the aid and complicity
of the Israeli army, can hold the entire Palestinian population of the
city hostage for weeks at a time. In New Brunswick, non?native fishers
have destroyed traps belonging to the Esgenoôpetitj community.
Lately they have been threatening direct violence and creating a general
mood of incitement and anger, all with the tacit approval of the police.
Recently the DFO rammed and sank several Esgenoôpetitj fishing
boats, throwing those aboard into the bay, then beating them before pulling
them out of the freezing water. Yet it is the natives who have been
charged with crimes. Palestinians are routinely arrested in Hebron
for being the victims of settler attacks, or for resisting the demolition
of their homes.
But the similarities between Esgenoôpetitj and Hebron transcend
headlines too. In both places I’ve been welcomed with hospitality
and humor. Homes have opened and smiles come easily. The way
a little girl’s eyes grow wide when she’s thrown into the air is universal.
I hold up a mirror to Esgenoôpetitj and I can see Hebron.
I hold it up to the Bay and in it are reflected grape vines. I hold
it up to one face and I see another thousands of miles away. And
I hear the echoes come from across the world, spoken by the person sitting
next to me. “This could be paradise.”
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Treaty Rights In Esgenoôpetitj
The battle over treaty rights in Esgenoôpetitj (Burnt Church),
New Brunswick captured international headlines and dominated the news in
Canada for weeks this summer. CPT’s video footage documenting the
Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ (DFO) aggressive tactics,
which included ramming native fishing boats, flashed around the world.
Team members kept watch on the wharf day and night in order to alert the
community to raids on their fishery.
After a sustained struggle that left them exhausted but not defeated,
the native fishers pulled their traps in early October with three weeks
remaining in the season. Already, the community is expressing
apprehension about next spring’s season as interim agreements between the
government and other native communities in Canada's Maritime provinces
are set to expire in March, 2001.
CPT maintained a violence-reduction presence with the Esgenoôpetitj
First Nation during both the spring and fall 2000 lobster fishing seasons.
The team is currently engaged in a listening project to hear from the grandmothers
and grandfathers of Esgenoôpetitj as well as their non-native neighbors.
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ESGENOÔPETITJ:
TROUBLE ON THE BAY
Picture: CPTer William Payne (right) accompanies Mi’kmaq fishers on
the shores of Miramichi Bay.
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Esgenopetitj, NB – In the choppy waters of Miramichi Bay, a Canadian
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) vessel rammed a First Nations
fishing boat three times, cracking its hull before chasing it to shore.
CPTer Matthew Bailey?Dick had to grasp the edge of the boat to avoid being
thrown into the water. Another man was hospitalized for injuries
sustained during one of the collisions. The incident occurred August
17 during an assault by eight DFO vessels in which two First Nations boats
were rammed.
A few nights earlier, the DFO conducted a major raid in which they seized
748 native lobster traps and, according to observers, trained their guns
on one of the native fishing boats that went out to protest the confiscation.
Despite such aggression, native fishers returned to navigate the troubled
Miramichi waters, resetting their traps and asserting their right to regulate
their own fishery rather than accept Canadian government control.
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Awaiting Trial
Fifteen members of the Esgenoôpetitj First Nation and three members
of Christian Peacemaker Teams still await trial for incidents which occurred
during the spring and fall lobster seasons. Charges include illegal
fishing, obstruction of fisheries officers, and assault. CPTers William
Payne and Bob Holmes (Toronto, ON) were arrested on charges of obstruction
in early May while attempting to retrieve native traps confiscated by DFO
agents. CPT Canada Coordinator Doug Pritchard (Toronto, ON) was issued
a summons in July in connection with an incident he videotaped of the DFO
swamping and ramming native boats.
CPTers in Esgenoôpetitj during August, September and October were:
Matthew and Nina Bailey-Dick, Chris Buhler, Christine Forand, and Scott
Morton-Ninomiya from Waterloo, ON; Jim Loney and William Payne
of Toronto; Jamey Bouwmeester (Elgin IL), John Finlay (Walkerton, ON),
Joel Klassen (Kitchener, ON), Gina Lepp (Harrow, ON), Pierre Shantz (Blainville,
QC), Janet Shoemaker (Goshen, IN), and Lena Siegers (Blyth, ON).
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PEACEMAKERS ARRESTED
IN PUERTO RICO
Six members of a CPT delegation joined residents of Vieques Island,
Puerto Rico, October 1 in calling for an end to the U.S. Navy's practice
bombing on the island. Two members – Angela Freeman of Kitchener,
ON, and Cliff Kindy of North Manchester, IN – were among 55 people who
intensified their witness by entering a restricted area of the Navy base.
They were arrested and detained at the Guaynabo Federal Prison in San Juan
and released two days later.
“Human presence stops the bombing," said delegation leader Kindy before
entering the base. Freeman added, “It is important for North American
Christians to examine their role in the destruction of Vieques.”
Other delegation participants joined 5000 Puerto Rican clergy, teachers,
attorneys, and members of numerous civic organizations in a march and rally
at the entrance to the base.
On October 5, Kindy appeared in court on charges stemming from a similar
civil disobedience witness last spring. The presiding magistrate
noted that Kindy was in violation of a May 15 court order barring him from
“entering any U.S. Armed Forces facility in Puerto Rico.” He was
immediately led away in handcuffs while the shocked delegation watched.
Kindy was held in jail until October 10 when he pled guilty to both the
May and October trespass charges. He was sentenced to time served
and ordered to pay a $300 fine. At her arraignment the same day,
Freeman pled not guilty. Her trial date has not been set.
Other members of the 10-day delegation included Moses Beachy (Goshen,
IN), Christine Caton (Waterford, CT), Audrey Miller (Willington, CT), and
Kathryn Railsback (Seattle, WA). In addition to providing support
to their jailed companions, delegation members met with Puerto Rican religious,
political, and environmental leaders.
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DIALOGUE
In Dialogue we lift exchanges from CPT.D, an open e-mail discussion
on CPT’s vision and work. The following dialogue was sparked by a
CPTNet release describing the scene on the shores of Miramichi Bay near
Burnt Church, New Brunswick at 11:00am on September 22. Several hundred
members of the Esgenoôpetitj First Nation gathered to pray, along
with their supporters from across Canada, as the deadline set by the Canadian
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) for native fishers to have all
of their lobster traps out of the water approached. The anticipated
DFO raid never came.
Martin Suter, Kitchener, ON: I am very disappointed and
disheartened by CPT’s call for a prayer vigil in response to the DFO ultimatum.
There is a time and place for people to resist the oppressor with whatever
force necessary to defend themselves. The DFO doesn't really [care]
about a handful of self-righteous, white Canadians silently praying that
"no one gets hurt." What the government cares about is eliminating
any sort of native-controlled fishery. As a result of the influence
of "feel good" Christian and non-Christian spirituality within the native
community, the will to actively resist has been severely dampened.
Kent Wilkens, Tobermory, ON: Is the CPT presence at Burnt Church
a moderating, violence-reduction influence, or does it offer encouragement
to fight the federal fisheries and set up a pseudo-independent state which
doesn’t need to recognize any Canadian jurisdiction?
Phil Enns, Toronto, ON: I was disappointed to see CPTers
in boats with natives during a particularly aggressive confrontation between
the natives and government officials. CPT people defend the natives
from our pulpits which leads me to wonder what CPT means by “independent
observer.”
Andy Barenberg: It means that, when the natives start knocking
over the government’s boats and beating them in the water, CPT will begin
riding in the government’s boats.
Doug Pritchard, CPT Canada Coordinator, Toronto, ON: CPT’s primary
role is violence?reduction. Members of the Esgenoôpetitj community
asked us to be present on their boats with video and still cameras because
of their well?founded fears that Canadian officials would attack them.
Our experience in other projects has been that the visible presence of
independent observers with cameras can put the brakes on those bent on
violence. CPT seeks to be attentive to the truth held by every party
in a conflict, but CPT is not neutral on questions of injustice, poverty,
hunger and oppression. Canada is enforcing its flawed interpretations
of "The Law" in an excessively violent manner and has repeatedly refused
to engage in any serious dialogue with the community they are oppressing.
Phil Enns, Toronto, ON: So, CPT is neither independent
nor playing the role of observers since you admit to not being neutral.
I fail to see how such blatant support for one side serves the higher goal
of peace. Justice and peace are two very different and perhaps conflicting
goals. We as Christians need to choose one or the other and I always
thought that we Mennonites came out on the side of peace.
Rich Meyer, CPT Reservist, Millersburg, IN: There are ways in
which peace (cessation of conflict) might necessarily precede justice and
ways in which some administration of justice (accountability for past wrongs)
might be necessary as a context for peace. CPT is independent.
We are not first nations nor are we DFO. We maintain an independent
team structure and decision?making capacity free from control of either
party to the conflict. Yet when we are in the presence of an overwhelming
power imbalance expressed through lethal and near?lethal violence, we are
not neutral. We can contribute best to both justice and peace by
accompaniment, observation/reporting, and nonviolent intervention.
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CPT Calendar 2000-2001
· Middle East Delegations: Nov 14-27, 2000; Feb 14-26, May 25-Jun
6, Jul 27-Aug 8, Nov 16-28, 2001.
· Chiapas Delegations: Nov 17-29, 2000; Feb 19-Mar 3, May 14-26,
Jul 18-30, Nov 19-Dec 1, 2001.
· Vieques, Puerto Rico Delegation: Jan 25 - Feb 4, 2001
· Burnt Church Project: Aug 15-Oct 15, 2000; Spring 2001 - New
Brunswick
· Peacemaker Training: Fall 2000 - Cleveland; Dec 27-Jan 23,
2001 - Chicago
· CPT Steering Committee Meetings: Mar 22-24, 2001 - Chicago
· CPT Sunday: Aug 5, 2001
· Peacemaker Congress VI: Sep 20-23, 2001 - Joyfield Farm, North
Manchester, IN
· Delegations to Colombia, New Brunswick, and South Dakota:
to be announced.
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MAKING
CHOICES: A MESSAGE FROM CPT DIRECTOR, GENE STOLTZFUS
By the time you read this, our Hebron team may have witnessed the transformation
of a very violent situation. By choosing to stay with the people
of Hebron through the hailstorm of live bullets and rockets red glare,
their red hats remind everyone – Palestinians, Israelis, church supporters,
and embassies – that there are other choices.
I am astounded at how much genuine good work can be done by a small
group of disciplined people who listen to the voices around them and act
out of a spirit of courage and prayer.
For the last eight months CPT has maintained three full-time teams and
expanded our training program to Ontario and Cleveland on a budget of $420,000
U.S. What is ahead in CPT? Your choices will help determine
the outcome.
This year CPT has studied the possibilities of major growth. A
consensus is forming to move forward to 2005 with expanded goals that could
raise our full-time corps from 18 to as many as 50 people. We made
the choice to explore this vision with faith that the resources – both
human and financial – would come.
Some of you have been considering a three year term with us. We
want to hear from you. If you speak Spanish you may be just the person
we need to complete a team to Colombia.
While our kind of work is often blessed with showers of generosity in
the advent season, we are conscious that only three months remain in this
fiscal year and we have spent $64,000 more than we have brought in.
Here in the Chicago office we have a little rule: if you pick
up the mail and bring back less money than CPT spent that day, you must
return to the Post Office and wait for more tiny envelopes like the ones
enclosed with this Signs of the Times. We need your help to keep
us from spending so much time going back to the Post Office!
Join the CPT community in making choices for life and transformation
often before there is a rational basis for hope.
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CHIAPAS, MEXICO: GOING
HOME?
Mexico’s entrenched PRI (Independent Revolutionary Party) was toppled
in both national and state elections this summer. In December, conservative
Vicente Fox will take over the presidency and progressive Pablo Salazar
will become governor of the state of Chiapas. All sides are staying
alert to what effect the changing political scene will have on the Chiapas
conflict.
In the highland county of Chenalhó, where some 10,500 people
have been displaced from their communities over the past three years due
to paramilitary and military violence, there is cautious hope that conditions
might allow refugees to return to their homes soon.
In September, CPTers Scott Kerr and Matt Schaaf accompanied two members
of Las Abejas (the Bees), a Mayan pacifist group, a few steps in that direction.
Displaced Abejas from Yibeljój have acquired land about 1½
hours closer to their home village than the overcrowded X’oyep refugee
camp where they are currently staying. It isn’t quite home, but a
move there will enable them to work their own farm plots for the first
time in three years. Still concerned about continued paramilitary
violence endangering the relocation project, the refugees say they will
work and walk the trails only in groups for many months to come.
Members of the CPT team August through October were Duane Ediger (Dallas,
TX), Anne Herman (Binghamton, NY), Esther Ho (Hayward, CA), Tracy Hughes
(Bluffton, OH), Scott Kerr (Downers Grove, IL), Erin Kindy (North Manchester,
IN), Carl Meyer (Millersburg, IN), Matt Schaaf (Winnipeg, MB), Dick and
Gretchen Williams (Boulder, CO) and Lynn Stoltzfus (Harrisonburg, VA).
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Chiapas Delegation Vigil
CPT’s July delegation continued a series of prayer vigils challenging
Mexico’s Army to return to their homes. Many indigenous people in
Chiapas feel threatened by the large military presence. The July
23 witness at Majomút, the key military installation in the highlands,
included prayers of repentance for North Americans’ complicity in the injustices
in the region.
Delegation members included Fred Bahnson (Brevard, NC), Grace Braley
(Yonkers, NY), Duane Ediger (Dallas, TX) Ron Friesen (Loveland, CO), Joel
Douglas Harrison (Los Angeles, CA), Len Janzen (Virgil, ON), Murray Lumley
(Ancaster, ON), Matthew Pflederer (Goshen, IN), Allan Slater (Lakeside,
ON), Muriel Stackley (Pawnee Rock, KS), and Shirley Way (Wallingford,PA).
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Training Vigil
Forty members and supporters of CPT, including 12 Reservists in training,
vigiled outside the Mexican Consulate in downtown Toronto on August 22
as Mexico's President?elect Vicente Fox arrived in Ontario. Participants
constructed a makeshift shelter of wood sticks and plastic sheeting to
symbolize the living conditions of some 20,000 indigenous Mayan refugees
displaced by violence throughout Chiapas. Four participants delivered
45 white flowers – representing 45 indigenous women, men, and children
who were massacred December 22, 1997 – and a message asking President?elect
Fox to follow through on his promises to end the conflict in Chiapas.
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LAW OF THE HEART
Picture: CPT trainers, Len Desroches, Toronto, ON (left) and gkisedtanamook,
New Jersey, NB (right) participate in a prayer vigil at the Mexican Consulate
in Toronto organized by Ontario reservists in training.
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CPT trainer, gkisedtanamook, was present at the August 22 prayer vigil
in Toronto and delivered this Message from the Community of Esgenoôpetitj
to the Mayan People of Chiapas (exerpts):
Sisters and Brothers we stand with you in your work for liberation and
dignity. We call upon the Sacred to hear and consider our prayers
for real peace, for good life, for your restoration that is yours by birthright.
We are inspired by your courage and determination for simple justice.
We call upon the people of Canada and Mexico to honor their international
commitments of peace and human rights for our peoples to live without tyranny,
without state-orchestrated violence and terror, and the chaos such actions
have brought to our peoples. May the Sacred fill your hearts with
the love we share for you and bond our destinies together to unite our
unborn generations in the great and true law of the heart.
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ONTARIO TRAINING
GRADUATES 12 RESERVISTS
Picture: Participants in the Ontario regional training were – standing
(left to right): Jim Loney (Toronto), Ellis Brown (Kitchener), Vern Reidiger
(Toronto), Dorothy McDougall (Toronto, unable to complete due to illness),
Art Arbour (Toronto), and George Weber (Chesley); seated (left to right):
Murray Lumley (Ancaster), Krista Lord (Waterloo), Paul Neufeld Weaver (Worthington,
MN), Rebecca Johnson (Parry Sound), Jane Pritchard (Toronto), Nathan Bender
(Toronto), and John Sherman (Dayton, OH).
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Kitchener, Ontario – Twelve people completed CPT’s rigorous 72-hour
training curriculum which focused on action, reflection and practice of
a variety of peacemaking skills to become members of CPT’s Reserve Corps
in August.
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CPT LAUNCHES CLEVELAND
TRAINING
Cleveland, Ohio – Fourteen Reserve Corps applicants, all from the Lee
Heights Community Church in Cleveland, will spend the first weekend of
each month in training beginning November 4, 2000 through May 6, 2001.
“We want to form a disciplined peace team that can respond to violence
throughout this city,” said pastor Robin Miller. The training for
this new CPT regional group will focus heavily on urban violence reduction,
something with which the participants already have firsthand experience
since the church is located in an area where drug dealing and crime are
common.
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Menno Klassen
Menno Klassen, longtime CPT supporter and friend, died of a brain tumor
September 16 in Winnipeg, MB. Klassen, 83, was part of CPT’s November 1996
Chiapas delegation and “a firm voice for justice, kindness and peace,”
says CPT director Gene Stoltzfus. We will miss his wonderful and
persistent example.
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PEACEMAKERS RETREAT
For the first time since CPT’s Peacemaker Corps began in 1993, all
fifteen full-time workers were called in from the field for five days of
R, R, R & R (Rest, Recreation, Reunion and Reflection). They
were joined by CPT staff, representatives from the Steering Committee and
a handful of folks from the 83-member Reserve Corps at Joyfield Farm near
North Manchester, IN, August 9-13. Faithful Reservists carried on
CPT’s violence-reduction work in Hebron, Chiapas, and New Brunswick during
the retreat.
Discussions focused heavily on the vision for CPT’s growth intertwined
with periods of daily worship, sharing joys and concerns common to team
work in three countries, eclectic talent shows, and individual blessings
by CPT “elders.” Recommendations from the retreat were fed into the
October 19-21 Steering Committee meetings as a year-long consultation process
concerning the vision for CPT’s future draws to a close.
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BEATITUDES FOR THE CPTER
by Kathy Kern on the occasion of the final worship at the CPT Retreat.
Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual inadequacies, for they
will cut their co?workers some slack, and be respectful of the faith traditions
of others.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be able to enter into the
lives of the oppressed and exploited.
Blessed are the meek, for they will make room for their co?workers to
express new ideas, move in new directions and make mistakes.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
will be able to put jealousies, quarrels and irritations aside to focus
on challenging the violence of the domination system.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will give their co?workers a second
chance after dumb mistakes and hurtful words and behaviors. And maybe,
just maybe, they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart – wherever they may be.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for sometimes, through the grace of God
and the prayers of the faithful, they actually manage to make peace.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake; who are
interrupted, slighted and denigrated by their co-workers; who are called
"Squalor on the Face of the Earth," and "Nazis;" who are spit on, attacked
and slandered by agents of the status quo; who develop a variety of interesting
tropical diseases; who are reviled for coming from a life of privilege;
who bear scars from a life of deprivation; who are laughed at for saying
stupid things; who are willing to continue working for peace after they
have been humiliated; who choose to witness and participate in the pain
caused by atrocities, massacres and systemic violence.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for you are a part of the cloud of
witnesses who will bless the peacemakers coming after you; for you are
the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world; and yours is the
kingdom of Heaven.
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LETTERS
You people are completely insane. Toys and war games do not make
violent children. I did all of them growing up and now I am an officer
in the U.S. Army doing it for real.
Anonymous
Internet
As a Christian Mi'kmaq from Newfoundland, I am very concerned about
the situation at Burnt Church, New Brunswick. When I watched the
news and saw that your group was present in Burnt Church and actively seeking
to mediate a nonviolent end to the dispute I was overjoyed.
Denise Spencer
Newfoundland
We’re remodeling our kitchen and thought about those in Hebron who are
not allowed to build on their houses. We build without fear.
They live in constant fear that any day what they have may be demolished.
So we contributed some of our remodeling funds to CPT’s efforts in Hebron.
Anonymous
Indiana
I wanted to congratulate the CPT Team in Esgenoôpetitj.
It is a pleasure to share this important work with sensitive, thoughtful
and Spiritual people. Undoubtedly, the Grandmothers and Grandfathers
are smiling as they watch the Rainbow of warriors at work for peace, justice
and cooperation.
Willi Nolan
New Brunswick
Note: Willi Nolan is a Mi’kmaq woman who played a key role in making
the connections that led to CPT’s invitation to Burnt Church.
I asked my brother to buy me a pair of binoculars for sky and bird watching.
I thought they might be pretty expensive, and, since I can't retain personal
property as a Sister, this would be my last 'fling' at spending money before
taking vows. I wouldn't have dreamed of doing so if I had known how
much they really cost and felt very guilty using them. I think we
all know that God simply had other things in mind!!!
Peta-Ann
Sisters of St. John the Divine
Note: Sr. Peta-Ann donated the exceptionally high-quality binoculars
to the New Brunswick team for use when keeping watch on the wharf.
Just a note to let you know that we print off your prayer requests and
place them on our altar each day to be offered along with our Eucharistic
liturgy here at Cana House.
Larry and Mary Hansen,
Portland, OR
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PEACE BRIEFS
CPT Visits War College Brass – Following a series of monthly
vigils at the entrance to the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA, six
CPT representatives sat around a huge conference table with Commanding
General Robert Ivany and five of his colleagues, including Col. George
Oliver, head of the U.S. Army’s Peacekeeping Institute on September 26.
The War College trains senior army personnel – including Israeli military
officers – in strategic studies. CPTers urged college staff to integrate
nonviolence into their curriculum and develop a corps of unarmed peacekeepers.
“The fruit we reap will not be any better than the seeds we sow,” cautioned
John Stoner, CPT Steering Committee Chair from Akron, PA. Added CPT
Reservist Elayne McClanen of Carlisle, PA, "Peace is not passive or utopian.
It is creative, conflictual, disagreeing, but does not include killing
one another.” Stoner and McClanen were joined by CPT supporters Lenore
Dusold (Reading, PA), Carmen Pauls (Henderson, NE), and Harold Penner and
Justin Shenk (Akron, PA).
Am-Bushed on Oprah – Two members of Voices in the Wilderness,
a group which has advocated tirelessly for ending U.S.-supported United
Nations sanctions against Iraq, attended the airing of Oprah Winfrey’s
TV show on September 18 when presidential candidate George W. Bush was
a featured guest. The two passed out roses commemorating Iraqi children
who have died as a result of the sanctions to the line of people waiting
to enter the studio, which is located six blocks from CPT’s Chicago office.
After challenging Bush with questions about the U.S. sanctions policy,
the men were escorted out of the studio.
CPTer Disarms Warthog – Sr. Anne Montgomery (Brooklyn, NY), who
recently completed four years of full-time service with CPT-Hebron, was
among five Roman Catholic sisters who entered the Peterson Air Force Base
in Colorado Springs on September 9. The women hammered and poured
blood on a mockup of a Milstar communications satellite and a Warthog A?10
aircraft during an air show. The satellite is designed for communication
during a nuclear war. The aircraft was used extensively during the
Gulf War and is still active in bombing Iraq. Following a flood of
media coverage, all charges were dropped and the women were released from
jail on September 16. Montgomery (73), who was part of the first
Plowshares action twenty years ago at the King of Prussia G.E. Plant said,
“I realized then that if there is a weapon before me, I must disarm it.”
By mid-October, Montgomery rejoined CPT full-time and began a three-month
assignment in Hebron.
Our Best Hope? – According to Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus
on the Family, “...nuclear weapons represent our best hope for maintaining
freedom, independence, and a healthy balance of power in today’s volatile
world.” Dr. Dobson’s statement came in response to a letter of concern
sent by CPT supporters as part of CPT Sunday’s focus on nuclear disarmament.
CPT asked churches to observe August 6 – the day the U.S. dropped the first
atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945 – by writing to prominent religious
leaders asking them to take a stand against the production and threatened
use of nuclear weapons.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
¿Habla Español?: In the wake of the U.S. congressional
approval of $1.3 billion in aid to the Colombian government – almost 90%
in military assistance – the call from Colombian Mennonite churches for
international peace teams grows more urgent. CPT needs courageous,
experienced, Spanish-speaking peacemakers if we are to respond to this
invitation. If that still, small voice just won’t leave you alone,
call us now.
Violence is Not Child’s Play: With the holiday shopping season
upon us, CPT invites churches and groups to join the Violence is Not Child’s
Play: 500 Churches for Change campaign. Through the campaign, your
group will 1) conduct inspections of area retailers to rate violent content
in toy and video/computer games sections; 2) initiate conversations with
store managers and corporate executives; 3) work with the media to inform
and educate the public about your findings; and 4) follow up with local
stores, urging them to reduce or eliminate their inventory of toys and
games that promote violence. The first 100 organizing packets, which
contain background information, step-by-step guides and sample materials,
have already been distributed. Contact CPT to order your packet!
$5 donation requested.
Portraits for Peace: CPTer Dianne Roe is offering her services as a
portrait artist to raise money for CPT. 12"x16" or 12"x18" portraits
are available from your photograph in pastel ($60 for one person; $30 for
each additional person in the photo) or charcoal ($45 for one; $20 for
each additional person). Portrait miniatures painted on Christmas ornaments
are also available for $60. Send photo and check to CPT at our Chicago
office. On the back of the photo, please write your name and address
and indicate whether you want your portrait in pastel (include hair and
eye color) or charcoal. Place orders early for holiday gift-giving!
Christmas Peace Pilgrimage: The 41st annual Nazareth to Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)
Peace Pilgrimage will take place on December 9, 2000. CPT Director,
Gene Stoltzfus, will be the featured speaker. For more information
contact John Stoner; 717-859-1958; jkstoner@ptd.net.
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Credits
Signs of the Times is produced four times a year. Batches of 10
or more are available to institutions, congregations and local groups for
distribution. Any part of Signs of the Times may be used without
permission. Please send CPT a copy of the reprint. Your contributions
finance CPT ministries including the distribution of 8500 copies of Signs
of the Times.
The work of CPT is guided by a twelve-person STEERING COMMITTEE: Bob
Bartel, Anne Blackwood-Chirchir, Paul Dodd, Pat Hostetter Martin, Cliff
Kindy, Nancy Maeder, Orlando Redekopp, Hedy Sawadsky, Mary Scott Boria,
Muriel Stackley, John Stoner, Dorothy Jean Weaver.
CPT STAFF: Gene Stoltzfus - Director, Claire Evans - Administrative
Coordinator, Kryss Chupp - Training Coordinator – Chicago, IL; Jan Long,Christian
Peacemaker Corps Coordinator - Blacksburg, VA; Rich Meyer,Campaign for
Secure Dwellings Coordinator - Millersburg, IN; Doug Pritchard, CPT Canada
Coordinator - Toronto,ON.
CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER CORPS: Jamey Bouwmeester (Elgin, IL), Claire Evans
(Chicago, IL), Anita Fast (Vancouver, BC), Matt Guynn (Richmond, IN), Anne
Herman (Binghamton, NY), Kathleen Kern (Webster, NY), Scott Kerr (Downers
Grove, IL), Cliff Kindy (North Manchester, IN), Natasha Krahn (Waterloo,
ON), Anne Montgomery (Brooklyn, NY), William Payne (Toronto, ON), Rick
Polhamus (Fletcher, OH), Dianne Roe (Corning, NY), Pierre Shantz (Blainville,
QC), Janet Shoemaker (Goshen, IN), Lena Siegers (Blyth, ON), Lynn Stoltzfus
(Harrisonburg, VA).
ASSOCIATES/VOLUNTEERS:
Diego Mendez (Chiapas team); Charlene Gardner and Andrew Horst (Chicago
office); Nafiz Assaily, Andrew Getman, Kathy Kapenga, Zleekha Mutahseb,
Abdelhay Natsche (Hebron team); Jim Hett, Tom Yoder-Neufeldt, St. Jacobs
and Stirling Ave. Mennonite Churches (Ontario training), the Kindy family
(Corps retreat), Gary Good (Web Page); PLUS the indispensable team of Chicago
volunteers that make our newsletter mailings possible! Special thanks
to many Ontario CPTers and the New Brunswick team who contributed to the
Ontario training.
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