CPTnet
July 30, 2003

CHICAGO: CPTers shave heads to dramatize destruction and confiscation of
Palestinian land

On July 23, 2004 at a heavily trafficked corner near the Israeli Consulate
in Chicago, participants of Christian Peacemaker Team's summer training
dramatized the effects of the barrier Israel is building in Palestine. Their
backdrop was a mock gray wall, which Israel is building ostensibly for
protection, with images of a bulldozer, a demolished home, and a U.S. tax
form to symbolize tax dollars that contribute toward building the wall.
Echoing the words of Pope John Paul II, who said, "In reality, the Holy Land
doesn't need walls but bridges," the panels of the wall turned around and
transformed into a bridge of peace.

Palestinians describe the Israeli military's bulldozing of fields, orchard,
vineyards and homes to make way for the wall as "shaving the land." Set
against the backdrop of the mock wall, ten individuals took turns sitting in
a pose of powerlessness while their heads were shaved, offering a visible
expression of solidarity and mourning. The image of the public shaving
caught the attention of the media and hundreds of passers-by over the lunch
hour.

"When it was my turn for shaving, I was overcome by the symbolism. I sat in
a chair, bowed my head, and Scott Smith chopped off my long hair. The sounds
of the area brought me to tears, as my mind associated each one with
familiar sounds from my time in Palestine. The buzz of the clippers, was
like the heart-thundering rumble of the bulldozers," said Joe Carr, who
spent four months in Palestine with the International Solidarity Movement.

Representatives of the group crossed the street to the Israeli consulate
where they hoped to meet with Consular officials and offer prayers for
peace. Police and security guards prevented the group from reaching the
Consulate offices, but a Consular representative agreed to meet with the
group the following week.

On Wednesday, 28 July, five CPT training delegates met with a Consular
official for thirty minutes, during which they shared their concerns about
the Israeli barrier. Meanwhile, other training participants held a prayer
vigil in the courtyard, singing "Peace, Salam, Shalom." Michael Smith
explained to the officer, "Like Job, out of mourning and despair I have
shaved my head." The delegation concluded their visit by offering their
locks of hair to the official.

The inspiration for this witness came from CPT-Hebron members who recently
shaved their heads as well.

Members of the training group are Joe Carr (Kansas City, MO), Suzanna
Collerd (River Forest, IL), Tom Fox (Springfield, VA), Christina Gibb
(Dunedin, New Zealand), Laurie Hadden (Markham, Ontario), Tim Kortenkamp
(Felton, CA), Michael Lachman (Athens, OH), John Lynes (East Sussex,
England), Jocelyn Perry (New York, NY), Grace Pleiman (Brooklyn, NY),
Michael Smith (Gibson City, IL), Scott Smith (Cloverdale, OR), Kristyn
Thurman (Oxnard, CA), and Annaliese Watson (Cloverdale, OR.)