The 93 students at the BYU Jerusalem Center arrived safely in Greece after evacuating because of the war between Israel and Hamas, but their semester abroad may be cut short.
The students, the center’s service couples and BYU’s faculty and their families arrived in Athens over the weekend. They then traveled about 80 miles west by bus to a hotel near Nafplion.
Currently, school officials plan to bring the students back to the United States after a Greek field study trip, said James R. Kearl, the assistant to BYU President Shane Reese for the Jerusalem Center.
Classes resumed Tuesday after a free day on Monday, Kearl said in a statement provided to the Deseret News.
Students will be in morning classes all week, with afternoons free to study and explore through Saturday. On Sunday, they will begin a previously scheduled eight-day trip around Greece, Kearl said.
They will start in ancient Philippi and finish in Athens.
“Students will study relevant parts of Acts and the letters of Paul written to early church congregations in ancient Greece,” Kearl said. “They also study at sites tied to early Greek history and visit several important Greek Orthodox monasteries at Meteora.”
A weeklong study trip is a regular part of each semester at the Jerusalem Center, but they alternate between Egypt, Turkey or Greece, Kearl said.
BYU is asking for prayers for the safety of the staff that remains at the Jerusalem Center.
“We leave behind Eran Hayet (executive director of the Jerusalem Center); Tawfic Alawi (associate director); Tarek Safadi (head of security); and nearly 50 local employees and their families,” the center said in a security update posted on Sunday.
“These beloved and trusted individuals and families — Israelis and Palestinians — remain in harm’s way,” the update said. “We ask that you pray for their safety and well-being.”
Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, sending thousands of missiles and assault troops over and through the wall between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
The BYU students sheltered in place, continued studies on the Jerusalem Center campus and canceled field trips as the fighting and missile strikes continued 40 or more miles away from Jerusalem.
The center initially announced that the students were safe and that a contingency plan was in place.
On Oct. 9, students, faculty and staff moved to the center’s shelters after sirens sounded in Jerusalem during a missile attack, but the center was otherwise peaceful and calm, officials reported.
BYU announced Friday that the students would evacuate Jerusalem and move to Greece.
The BYU Jerusalem Center opened in 1989. It has never been targeted during ongoing unrest between Israelis and Palestinians. The center is located in East Jerusalem near several important Muslim sites.
The center has continued to operate with restrictions during some unrest or has closed when the security situation worsens. For example, the center closed to students from 2000-2007 during the Second Intifada.
Source: Deseret News