Wendell Lee Kucker

• birth: ABOUT 1943; Watertown, SD
• death:

Spouse: Mary Louise (Christensen) Kucker

• See Family...

• sex: M

Picture came from: Unknown
Date of picture: Unknown
Front row: Unknown

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Picture came from: Unknown
Date of picture: Unknown
Front row: Unknown

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Thanks to American Airlines and the fog in San Francisco we didn't make the El Al flight out of LA so we arrived in Jerusalem 24 hours late. Fortunately our bags arrived with so we learned to be thankful for little things..a cultural experience!
Our flight was with a large group of Orthodox Jews. It was an interesting experience to witness their morning prayers on the plane.

As we got to the 4 Points Sheraton General Yatom from the IDF was addressing the group. His position was Israel wants to negotiate with the PLO-to a point. Not everything the PLO is asking for is a negotiable item.
Over dinner we learned that most of the PLO are not Israel citizens-rather they are citizens of Jordan. That causes me to ask the question "Why are they even here in Israel?" Obviously it is to follow the vow of most of their leaders "To drive the Jews into the Sea." The Arabs in northern Israel are citizens, most are peaceful, and do not feel the PLO speaks for them, but do not serve in the military.

Barak has called for elections. According to sources we had access to, he is in the political fight of his life. At this point, Benjamin Netanyahu leads in the polls by 20%. It is obvious, if elections were today, the Likud party would replace the Labor party currently in power.
In effect, Arafat is Barak's running mate in this election. Barak is betting that he and Arafat can put together an agreement before the elections next May. If that happens it will likely mean that he will be successful in his re-election efforts. It also puts pressure on Arafat, because it is common knowledge that Arafat does not want to deal with Netanyahu.

Part of our group went to Bethlehem to meet with the mayor. Because Paul and I had missed the prior day time in the Old City, we passed on the trip to Bethlehem in order to see the security of Jerusalem first hand. We saw nothing different from our previous trip in 1998. There was a police and military presence in the city, but nothing more than we had seen before.
Our time was spent in all four quarters of the City. We felt no threats wherever we went. Our first stop was at the Western Wall. As it was Thursday morning it was time for Bar Mitzvahs. We watched the celebrations and took prayers to the Wall. We were both approached by Orthodox Jews asking for contributions to various Jewish causes. One was so bold that he asked me for $10,000! (I didn't think I looked that successful!) With the breeze, I even had trouble keeping by yarmulke on my head.
Paul and I checked out the new Archeological garden that had just been opened after lying under rubble for 1930 years. The garden opened onto the Southern Stairs, which we had never been able to gain access to in past visits. We will definitely bring our group back here in April!
We climbed the bell tower of the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer and viewed the sanctuary. (We were warned that it was a tough climb-they were right!) We'll encourage this as an optional event for members of our group-it is not for everyone, but the view at the top was grand! We got some shots of the Old City that were very special.
Our next stop was at the Citadel of David. We were impressed with our stop last time and continue to be impressed with the overview of the city of Jerusalem it provides. This will be our first stop in Jerusalem in April. The city was preparing for a large, contemporary art exhibit at the Citadel. While the modern art detracted from the beauty of the place, it still was a special visit again.
We walked though the Arab markets-only our pocketbooks were threatened. It never ceases to amaze me how the Arabs will not take "no" for an answer. With the lack of tourists they were even more aggressive than before. One Arab told me he would give me a 95% discount on anything in the shop-but he was safe, there was nothing in his shop I'd consider buying.

We met the group returning from Bethlehem at the Garden Tomb, still the most peaceful, beautiful spot in Jerusalem.
I spoke at length with Jim Lorenz, Adventist pastor from Roseville. They had to travel west of Jerusalem, walk through military barricades, get on an Arab bus and enter the city from a different route than we normally take to Bethlehem.
Regarding the meetings they had in Bethlehem, his comments were that the Directors of Tourism for Bethlehem, George Ghanem and Mitri Abu Aita, along with the Deputy mayor of Bethlehem Ziad Al-Bandak were very positive and stressed that no pilgrim has been harmed in Bethlehem in 30 years. Much of Manger Square and the immediate community has been redone and is a vast improvement over the previous status.
Any good will that was accomplished by the first three speakers was destroyed by the PLO Executive Committeeman, Dr. Emil Jarjoui. He stated that the PLO was at war and that all the current problems were due totally to Israel. Even the dirt on the street was due to Israel. He was described as very emotional and not willing to consider any points other than his own.
It was obvious that both groups were among the best "spin doctors" in the business. Several members of our group said that while they did not feel threatened, they felt uneasy in Bethlehem and were glad to be back in Jerusalem.
The group stopped at an olivewood shop for lunch. Jim asked one of the employees how business had been. He replied that this bus was the first they have seen this month. They were called in to work today, when they left he was unemployed again, with no idea when he would be called back again.

Check their website-www.juc.edu -see the security page.
A Christian perspective was presented by three staff members of JUC.

Regarding the current situation, on both sides it is hard to make peace. The perspective from each of the three major religions is different.
ISLAM-revenge is the only solution.
JUDISM-they will never measure up the law.
CHRISTIANITY-forgiveness is possible.

Lindahl Browning, from the Church of the Nazarene, has been with JUC for 21 years. He encouraged us to meet the people of Israel when we come to the Holy Land, not just visit the sites. He said it was important to meet the spiritual leaders of the land, because that is where most of direction will come. He stressed that tourism is not targeted. Both sides recognize the importance of tourism to their national economy.

I found out that the internet center did not work and the phone line adapters that I could not find in the states, were not available here. Given a miracle, I'm not going to get an email sent tonight.

Seon MacBenDavid-Vice Council for Tourism in Israel joined us for dinner. He stated that Israel invests significantly in tourism. For every dollar invested, they expect $70-$80 in return in most years-but not in 2000! He said the major problem facing Israel is not security, but image. He asked us to do him a favor-DON'T WATCH CNN!
According to Israel statistics, 48% of Americans that visit Israel for the first time return four additional visits. The best year for tourism was 1990, when 2.6 million tourists came to Israel and added $3.4 billion to their economy. Thus far 2000 is likely to be one of their worst years. To date 200,000 have visited Israel and have spent $1.0 billion.
Temporary problem areas, where tourists are asked to avoid, are Bethlehem and Jericho, including the Mt. Of Temptation. Hebron and Gaza have been, and continue to be larger problems. Other area Dead Sea locations, such as Masada and En Gedi are open for tourists.

Born Greek Orthodox, today affiliated with the United Methodist Church. He attended college in the US. His wife is from Kentucky.
BBC began in 1979 with 10 students, today it has a campus and 100 students and has extension outreach in Gaza and in the Galilee.
The Palestinian Christian Community represents 2% of the population of Israel. In 1948 it represented 10% of the population. Moslem population is growing faster because of a higher birthrate and Jewish population is growing faster through immigration.
Rev. Awad's biggest concern is for curfew restrictions and the inability of the people of Bethlehem to go to Jerusalem and Gaza because of travel restrictions, whether for shopping or to work. He said it was typical to see women in the streets of Bethlehem begging for food, but now it is common to also see men begging for food as well. This adds to the tension and volatility of the current situation.

Dr. Munayer is a graduate of Fuller Seminary, and was raised Greek Orthodox. He is currently the Academic Dean of BBC.
Musalha is an Arabic word meaning "forgiveness and reconciliation". (Check out their website) His ministry focuses on Jews and Palestinian needs to reconcile their difference though Christ. He described Christ as being crushed between the strong arms of hate held by the Jews and Moslems.
Dr. Munayer said that the two groups are trying to get a divorce, and Bill Clinton is the Divorce Lawyer and the Oslo Agreement is the Divorce Agreement. Reconciliation is critical for peace to prevail, and only the love of Christ can overcome the hatred that exists between the two groups now. The worst part is that each generation hates the other more.
The goal of Musalha is to bring people together. In the current situation the more people talk, the more they divide. Each uses God to justify their position. Musalha proposes that leaders go on a wilderness expedition together. The desert strips each group of its defenses. The key may exist in the 4000 Messianic Jews and the 260,000 Palestinian Christians. If the Messianic Jews could minister to the Hamas, and the Palestinians could work with the Jewish element in the land, it just might be what is needed to make peace. Both groups are persecuted in Israel, and freedom of religion is important in the final solution.
Munayer went on to state that the Palestinians are seeking an international solution-they favor a U.N.resolution. He did not appreciate TIME magazine's covering of the current situation. He said "One needs to dehumanize a person before he can demonize him" and TIME did a very good job of that.
Munayer was pro-Palestinian, because he feels that they give Christianity the best chance to impact the state of Israel. He stated that Arafat attended mass every Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, is married to an American Christian, and has appointed Christians to cabinet positions. The mayor of Bethlehem is a Christian and was appointed by Arafat.

Dr. Hostetler is an Arab Christian and shared a wonderful teaching on the Prodigal Son. He had a simple analysis to the current situation:
PLO says they want justice.
Israel says it wants security.
They both miss an important element-grace and forgiveness.

They are only available through Christ!

JOHN SCOTT-political council-American Embassy
Scott reviewed the situation in Israel from an American perspective. He stated that the "travel warning" that was put out by the State Department encouraged tourists to delay their trip to Israel until further notice. He stated that it was done with the intention to avoid potential problems in the occupied territories. He stated that Americans had been killed in Israel. They were on public transportation and in "flash point" areas where normal tourists would not usually be found. No tourist, on guided tours has ever been killed in Israel.
The 35 members of the fact finding group presented him with a petition which we all signed asking the Embassy to review the travel warning. The lack of tourism is shutting down the economy of many of the towns and in many ways causing problems by extended layoffs of permanent employees.

Lee

Picture came from: W. Lee Kucker
Date of picture: December 2008
Front row: Todd Kucker, Christian Kucker, Lee Kucker

Three generations of Kuckers in California