Security Updates

Tuesday, 24 March 2026

This morning, Jerusalem time, the Jerusalem Center's students, ex-pat BYU faculty, faculty families, and a service couple, left the Center for southern Israel, entering Jordan at the Wadi Araba crossing between Eilat and Aqaba. They arrived safely in Wadi Rum this afternoon (Jerusalem time). They will visit Wadi Rum, Petra, and other sites of cultural and historical interest in southern Jordan, and then travel to Taba, Egypt, and from there to Cairo. Following several days of field study in Cairo and environs, all will depart for the U.S., which will bring to an end the Jerusalem Center's Winter 2026 Program.  

 

Wednesday, 4 March 2026

Students, faculty, and service couples will remain at the Jerusalem Center and not evacuate for now. This decision was announced to the students at a meeting in the Center and to their parents at a Zoom meeting to which all were invited on Tuesday. Our first priority is student safety. We believe of the options available to us at the present (evacuate by buses to either Cairo or Amman or shelter in place) that by far the least risky option for students and ex pat personnel given what has happened in Israel in the last day or two (e.g., a substantial decrease in number of missiles launched from Iran toward urban areas to the west of Jerusalem) is to remain at the Center which is in a safe area of Jerusalem and which has extensive security protections and easy access to within-Center shelters and safe rooms. Doing so also facilitates their studies. 

While a State Department official urged all Americans in the Middle East to evacuate to either Cairo or Amman in an announcement on Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem urged its employees to shelter in place. Likewise, the government of Israel urged Israelis with US or other non-Israeli passports to shelter in place. And in a broadcast around noon Tuesday (Jerusalem time), Ambassador Mike Huckabee also urged US citizens in Israel to shelter in place.  

 

Monday, 2 March 2026

Fake AI images and videos showing direct missile hits in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are circulating on social media. Please disregard these fake posts.  A small number of shrapnel pieces from destroyed Iranian missiles targeting the coastal cities and Israeli interceptor rockets have fallen in several areas of Jerusalem, but there have been no missile attacks on Jerusalem and no evidence that the city has been targeted.    

 

Sunday, 1 March 2026

Israel and the US continue to attack sites in Iran. Iran continues to retaliate by sending missiles toward countries where the US has military bases, as well as Israeli cities along the Mediterranean coast. A small percentage have made it through Israeli defenses in locations such as Tel Aviv and Bet Shemesh, causing damage and casualties.

When Iranian missiles are intercepted by defensive measures, shrapnel falls to the ground. Shrapnel can include all or a large part of the body of the missile, but is mostly smaller pieces of metal from destroyed missiles and interceptor rockets

Four pieces of shrapnel are known to have landed in the greater Jerusalem area since the war began Saturday morning (Jerusalem time), including a small piece of metal strapping on the Center's grounds while students were in shelter. A more substantial remnant of a missile body landed in Sultan's Pool, which is in the Hinnom Valley between the west most wall of the Old City and the hill where the King David Hotel is located.

Shrapnel cannot penetrate shelters. Everyone in the Center has been in the Center's shelters and safe rooms during these attacks on targets elsewhere in Israel. Typically, they have been in a shelter for 20-30 minutes -- the time between the siren signaling the launch of missiles in Iran aimed at Israel and the all-clear siren at the end of the attack. Those at the Center may go to the shelter several times across a day and night, but they are not living in the shelters.

Israel has temporarily closed access to the Old City because of the lack of sufficient shelter space.

Students, faculty, and service couples have been asked to stay at the Center. This travel restriction will remain in place until active hostilities end.

 

Saturday, 28 February 2026

Israel and US forces in the Middle East attacked Iran early Saturday morning (Jerusalem time). Iran retaliated with missiles and drones, mostly targeting US military installations in the region. The relatively few missiles that were directed at Israel today (Saturday) were targeting major cities along the Mediterranean coast. Jerusalem has not been targeted, but there is a risk of shrapnel from destroyed missiles, so those living in the Center have been in the Center's shelters today or in safe areas in the interior of the building (areas with reinforced concrete ceilings).

Because Church services are held on Saturday morning, everyone living in the Center was in the building when the hostilities began. Church services were held as scheduled. Those living at the Center have been asked to remain in the Center through the weekend. Restrictions on travel will be updated each day thereafter.

Field study trips scheduled for Sunday through Friday this next week have been cancelled. Scheduled within-Center class instruction will continue through the week. Student activity committees have other within-building activities planned for the week ahead. Decisions about activities away from the Center for the 2nd week of March and beyond will be made later.   

Airspace in Israel and in most of the rest of the Middle East was closed with the onset of hostilities early this morning, so there are no commercial flights in or out of Tel Aviv.

 

Monday, 12 January 2026

The war in Gaza ended in October 2025 with the implementation of the first phase of a US-backed ceasefire. This development brought an end to rocket fire by proxy groups, resulting in an immediate reduction in disruptions to daily activities, including travel by students to important sites in Jerusalem and within the Holy Land. 

Tourism has experienced a gradual recovery following the ceasefire, with hotel operations and flight services resuming and an increase in booking activity. Jerusalem, in particular, has recorded a notable rise in the number of visitors. The city is quiet and peaceful. 

Security measures at the Jerusalem Center are consistent with those that have been in place for many years. While regional tensions are substantially reduced, given the regional context and potential for conflict, regular security risk assessments are an important element of the Center's day-to-day management. 

Monday, 14 July 2025

The Spring/Summer Program students will return to Athens from Turkiye via ferry by Wednesday morning and then will fly from Athens to Tel Aviv Wednesday afternoon. They will be back in the Jerusalem Center Wednesday evening. They will resume their coursework and field studies starting Thursday. The semester ends with their return to the US around August 14.

Thursday, 26 June 2025

The Spring/Summer Jerusalem students will continue their studies in Greece for another week, visiting important ancient Greek sites in the Peloponnese, and will then travel to Turkey where they will study the Gospels and the travels of Paul along Turkey's western coast for the following ten days.

Wednesday, 18 June 2025

The Spring/Summer Jerusalem students' regularly scheduled field trip in Greece concludes on June 19. Over nine days, students visited important religious, cultural, and historical sites from Kavala in the northeast to Olympia on the west coast, concluding with two days in Athens. The students will remain in Greece through at least July 6, where they will continue their study of classical Greek history and culture, Early Christianity, and the New Testament.

 

Friday, 13 June 2025

The following email has been sent to parents whose sons/daughters are currently attending the Spring/Summer BYU Jerusalem Center Program:

"We are reaching out to provide an update regarding your students currently participating in the Spring/Summer BYU Jerusalem Center program. As you may be aware, recent developments involving Israeli military actions toward Iran have raised understandable concerns about a spreading conflict in the Middle East. We assure you that all students and faculty are currently safe, well, and following the scheduled itinerary for their studies and travels in Greece. Greece has been unaffected by the Israeli/Iranian conflict that started last night.

Students and faculty will continue with travel and educational activities in Greece as planned. They are scheduled to complete the Greek part of their academic program by the end of next week, and the original plans were to return to the Jerusalem Center. Over the next few days, the administrative team will be trying to gain a better understanding of the direction and likely length of the current conflict in order to make plans for what follows the completion of their current study program in Greece.  

The safety and well-being of our students and faculty remain our highest priority. We are in close contact with local authorities in Jerusalem and with U.S. State Department resources, and we are counseling with the University and Church administrative personnel to take all considerations into account. 

We will continue to keep you informed as the situation develops and will communicate any changes to the program’s itinerary to your son or daughter and you as soon as decisions are made."

 

Thursday, 12 June 2025

Israel launched an attack on Iran this evening and the attack is ongoing at the time of this posting. Retaliation is expected. In its announcement of the attack to the public, the government of Israel asked that everyone pay attention to subsequent alerts and know where to shelter but asked that no one go to shelters at this point. In its announcement, the government indicated that when an attack alert was announced, everyone would have 10 minutes to get to a shelter. The government also announced that Israeli airspace had been closed until further notice.

Earlier today, the US embassy restricted employees to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and its northern suburbs, and Beersheba. But contrary to reports in the US media, no one has been evacuated.

Everyone living in the Center, except two service couples and the youngest children of a faculty member (who are being tended by their grandmother) are in Greece until the end of next week.

 

Friday, 14 February 2025

Brigham Young University announced today that the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies will resume student programs starting April 29, 2025. The Center’s student programs were suspended following the Fall 2023 Program in response to the unrest and uncertainty in the Middle East.

“Jerusalem has been quiet for several months,” said Jim Kearl, assistant to the university president for the Jerusalem Center, “and there are strong signs of improved security throughout the Holy Land as cease-fire agreements in both Gaza and Lebanon appear to be holding.” Kearl added that European airlines have resumed flights to Tel Aviv, and US airlines have announced the resumption of their flights to Tel Aviv starting April 1. 

“There are likely to be occasional short-term flare ups and ups and downs in the security situation,” Kearl said, “as negotiations move from temporary cease-fire agreements to more permanent cessations of hostilities in Gaza and along Israel’s northern border. Nevertheless, we are confident that students who enroll in the Spring/Summer 2025 Program will have a safe and meaningful experience.”

More information about the Jerusalem Center and the student program can be found at JC Website: https://jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/

 As in the past, the Center’s academic program activities will be adjusted day by day, based on evaluations of travel risk. Students at BYU, BYU-Hawaii and BYU-Idaho who are interested in studying at the Jerusalem Center should carefully read the introduction to the Jerusalem Center Application at https://jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/how-to-apply. Based on the listed considerations and the eligibility requirements, students who want to be considered for admission to the Spring/Summer 2025 Program must apply before Feb. 28, 2025. 

 

Wednesday, 25 September 2024

BYU students, faculty families, and service couples were withdrawn shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in October 2023. While there were a few alarms in the city in subsequent months, Jerusalem was never a target, and the population remained calm. This allowed some other center activities to begin again, such as ongoing humanitarian efforts and the center’s weekly concert series. Building tours and other visits have not been resumed.

Because Jerusalem itself remained secure, faculty families and one service couple were able to return in August 2024 to lay the groundwork for resuming the student program when circumstances permit. They have been engaged in field and museum work in and around Jerusalem as well as assisting with other center programs. They do not travel to areas near conflict zones.

In recent days, conflict with Hezbollah, which operates out of Lebanon, has increased significantly. This has directly impacted the northern portions of Israel, but Jerusalem has not been targeted and has not been subject to alarms. The situation there remains calm. BYU Jerusalem Center staff and resident families have increased their vigilance, but the center remains secure, and they can continue their normal activities. 

Friday, 15 March 2024

The Spring/Summer 2024 Program for BYU, BYU-I, and BYU-H students at the Jerusalem Center has been canceled because of continued unrest and uncertainty about near-term IDF military actions in Gaza and continuing violence along the Lebanese and Syrian borders. Affected students have been offered the opportunity to roll over their placement to the Fall 2024 Program. We are hopeful that we will be able to resume student programs at the Center with this upcoming program scheduled to start September 3, 2024.

The Jerusalem Center and its grounds, which have been closed since mid-October 2023, will remain closed to visitors and tours until at least early August.  We have taken the opportunity provided by the regrettable suspension of student programs to undertake extensive renovations of the now 36-year-old facility.

Wednesday, 1 November 2023

(Posted at 12:00pm Wednesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

All Jerusalem Center students and expatriates have now departed Greece for home destinations. We ask for your continued prayers for our beloved and trusted local employees and their families - both Israeli and Palestinian - who remain working in Jerusalem.

Monday, 23 October 2023

(Posted at 11:30am Monday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Some Clarifications About Our Jerusalem Center Students in Greece: 

There have been many news reports about our students who were studying at the Jerusalem Center when the war broke out and even more reports when they were relocated to Greece. Some misleading interpretations of those reports are now appearing in comments posted on various news and social media sites. To help clarify, here are some facts about what actually happened and what is happening now. 

#1. The students were scheduled to go on an 8-day field trip to Greece as part of their regular semester calendar, before any missiles were launched or dangers were present. They left from Salt Lake City in September knowing that they would be in Greece from October 22 to October 30 as part of their Jerusalem Center program. The students were not "evacuated" to Greece. The Center's Fall 2023 Program was temporarily relocated to Greece one week earlier than anticipated, with the expectation that students would then complete the Greece field trip as scheduled. 

#2. The students were not stuck in the Center with nothing to do before they were flown out of Tel Aviv. While several classes were accelerated modestly, for the most part students were in scheduled classes that they would have been in had there been no outbreak of violence in Gaza and bordering Israeli areas. The Center has a student activity committee each semester, and that group organized many fun activities that students enjoyed. They also participated in the Model Seder dinner that week, as well as other program highlights so that they had as full of an experience as they could get in a shortened period of time. 

#3. The students were taken to Greece one week earlier than originally planned. They spent that week in one area where they were able to complete more of their coursework, so they could complete the semester sooner with a full load of credits. The students will still have some Zoom classes and final exams after returning to the US earlier than planned. They will not complete their New Testament credits but will complete the other 12 credit hours that they are earning from Old Testament, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Jewish Civilization, Arab Civilization, their language class, and their field studies class. (The Greek trip is an important part of the latter.) 

#4. This week, students are touring around Greece with instruction at various sites from ancient Philippi and Macedonia in the north to ancient Corinth and Mycenae to the south and ending at the Parthenon and Mars Hill in Athens. This is the portion of their time in Greece that was scheduled before the semester began and is being carried out as expected.  

#5. It was never the plan to have the students complete the rest of the semester in Greece. BYU does not own a facility in Greece where students can be housed. 

#6. The announcement that the students are coming home on October 31 does not cut their time in Greece short. When the program was relocated to Greece, returning to Jerusalem October 30 or 31 was held open as a possibility but the violence in Israel continues unabated. So, when they complete their scheduled Greek field studies experience on October 30, they will return home the next day because they cannot return to Israel. 

 

Wednesday, 18 October 2023

(Posted at 11:35am Wednesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Students will be returning home from Greece on Tuesday, October 31st.

 

Sunday, 15 October 2023

(Posted at 3:50pm Sunday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Students, BYU faculty and their families, and service couples have arrived in Athens. They will be bused to a hotel near Nafplion.

This will be the last daily post for a while. Posts will resume shortly before October 30.

(Posted at 1:52pm Sunday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Students, BYU faculty and their families, and service couples have left Israel, bound for Athens.

We leave behind Eran Hayet, JC Exec Director;  Tawfic Alawi, JC Associate Director; Tarek Safadi, Head of JC Security; and nearly 50 local employees and their families. These beloved and trusted individuals and families -- Israelis and Palestinians -- remain in harms way. We ask that you pray for their safety and well being.

 

Saturday, 14 October 2023

(Posted at 8:52pm Saturday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Jerusalem was quiet over Saturday night. Schools in Jerusalem and much of the country will reopen Sunday with in-school instruction. Schools in the far north and in towns near Gaza will also reopen but with instruction via Zoom. Ben Gurion Airport had normal operations but with flights limited to Israel-based commercial airlines.

(Posted at 9:26am Saturday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Jerusalem was quiet Saturday -- there were no rocket alarms (which means no rockets launched from Gaza in the general direction of Jerusalem) and there were no clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.  Operations at Ben Gurion Airport have continued without interruptions.

 

Friday, 13 October 2023

(Posted at 8:30pm Friday, Mountain Daylight Time)

As noted in a previous post, even in normal times Jerusalem is tense on Fridays as Muslims gather for noon prayer and then disperse. There were minor skirmishes between Palestinians and Israeli police as Muslims gathered and as they dispersed today but in line with a typical Friday.

However, on Thursday there was a shooting at a police station just north of the Old City. And Friday evening in a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem northwest of the Center,  three Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli police.

The neighborhood where the Center is located was quiet.  There is now a large and visible police presence in East Jerusalem. There is a police station located at Hebrew University very close to the Center. A second police station is within a half mile of the Center near the Old City. Police from these stations have been actively patrolling in the Center's neighborhood. Center Admin and security personnel have frequent contacts with these police stations and those on patrol.

(Posted at 6:43am Friday, Mountain Daylight Time)

The Jerusalem Center Fall 2023 Program is currently relocating to Greece. In addition to the 93 students and faculty, faculty families and service couples will also relocate to Greece.

 

Thursday, 12 October 2023

(Posted at 9:00am Thursday, Mountain Daylight Time)

There has been no reported violence in Jerusalem today. The neighborhood around the Center remains quiet and calm. Please note that tensions are always higher in Jerusalem on Fridays as Muslims gather on the Haram esh Sharif (the Temple Mount) for noon prayers. (This is the reason that even in normal times, Fridays are off limits to students until 3 pm.) So some unrest around the Old City is expected tomorrow in Jerusalem.

Rocket sirens sounded Thursday morning in Israeli towns surrounding Gaza, central Israel and Beit Shemesh (which is west of Jerusalem). Rocket fire continued Thursday afternoon in areas surrounding Gaza.

The Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza continues. In addition, the Israel Airforce bombed airports in Damascus and Halab, both in Syria.

 

Wednesday, 11 October 2023

(Posted at 11:10pm Wednesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

There were no reported incidents of violence over Wednesday night in Jerusalem.  

There were a number of alarms of penetrations from Lebanon by paragliders and through the border barrier during the day Wednesday.  All proved to be false and there were no further alarms overnight in the north.

However, penetrations from Gaza into Israel continue and three Hamas militants were killed outside of Gaza in the Israeli city of Sderot. Israel conducted massive air strikes in Gaza overnight (even compared to the level of its nightly strikes since Saturday). It is widely expected that Israeli ground forces will move into Gaza within the next few days.

There were clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in Jenin (in the West Bank near Nabulus). To provide some context: Jenin has been a hot spot for militants for a long time with frequent clashes between Palestinians and Israel Security forces for many months predating Saturday morning's massive attack by Hamas.

(Posted at 8:25am Wednesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

There were no incidents of violence reported in Jerusalem today. No rockets were launched from Gaza toward the greater Jerusalem area. The city remains calm, but tense. However, an Israeli was injured in a shooting incident immediately south of Jerusalem near the checkpoint leading to the West Bank town of Beit Jala.  

In the north, rocket sirens sounded at noon in the Galilee, but the IDF later indicated it was a false alarm. In the morning, Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile and mortars at an Israeli army post. The IDF responded with artillery and by air. Earlier, a Hezbollah post was destroyed by the IDF following another mortar fire and an anti-tank missile attack from Lebanon. 

Along the coast, rockets sirens went off in Ashdod, Ashkelon, the Tel Aviv area and at Ben Gurion Airport, which continues to operate. Except for El Al, commercial airlines have suspended flights in and out of the airport until the end of October. El Al has increased its flights in and out of Ben Gurion.  Rocket fire at Israeli towns around Gaza continues. 

Gaza Strip is now without electrical as its power plant have run out of fuel, shipments of which Israel has blocked.

 

Tuesday, 10 October 2023

(Posted at 11:15pm Tuesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

(Posted at 1:30pm Tuesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Heavy rocket fire hit Ashqelon at 5:00pmTuesday. Simultaneously 14 rockets were fired into the Western Galilee from the Lebanese border, likely by Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants and not Hezbollah. (For the present, Hezbollah appears to have chosen not to get involved.)  Four of the rockets were intercepted and 10 landed in open spaces. The IDF responded with artillery fire into Lebanon. Earlier in the day, rockets were fired from Gaza by Hamas militants at various intervals toward Tel Aviv and towns in central Israel. No rockets were fired toward greater Jerusalem on Tuesday.  

The IDF announced that it is holding the bodies of 1500 militants and that it has cut off power, water and food. It has urged Gazans to leave Gaza for Egypt.  Reports of the number of hostages held by Hamas continues to fluctuate between 130 and 150. Foreign nationals are among those being held at sites scattered around Gaza. 

There have no reports of violence in Jerusalem.  Most Jerusalemites are staying home; local schools will remain closed for the next two days.

The Jerusalem Center students have been asked to remain at the Center on Wednesday. (Decisions about travel outside of the Center compound are made on a day by day basis.) They continue with scheduled classes.

CLARIFICATION:  The Fall 2023 Program at the Jerusalem Center started with 94 students. One student fractured bones in her foot and needed surgery.  She returned to her home for the surgery before the start of the current violence.  So there are 93 students currently at the Center.  (The number has been variously reported as either 94 or 93; this is the reason.)

 

Monday, 9 October 2023

 

Sunday, 8 October 2023

(Posted at 9:20am Sunday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Current estimates are that 600 Israelis have been killed, 350 seriously wounded and over 1500 with various injuries. The IDF continued to bomb targets in Gaza through the day Sunday and the death toll and injuries among Palestinians is also rising, but the numbers are not verifiable at this point.

There are growing tensions with Hezbollah on the northern border with Lebanon following a security incident where there was a relatively brief exchange of mortar and artillery fire.

Students were at the Center all day working on a humanitarian project.  Students and expat personnel have been asked to remain in the Center Monday, with a full academic schedule. Jerusalem remains calm and is mostly empty as most people have remained at home. Schools will remain closed for the next two days.

 

Saturday, 7 October 2023

(Posted at 10:45pm Saturday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Sunday morning estimates are that 300 Israelis have been killed and over 1500 hospitalized. Palestinian dead and injured are unknown but almost certainly at least as large as Israeli casualties. Over 100 Israelis are believed to have been kidnapped and taken into Gaza.  None of these estimates are particularly reliable given the chaos in and around Gaza.  Hostages in Sderot and B’eri were released after a long battle with militants. Rocket fire on coastal cities and towns near Gaza continued through the night and Tel Aviv was among the cities hit. The Israel Defense Force (the IDF) bombed militant targets across Gaza throughout the night. Israeli schools will be closed today.

Jerusalem was tense Saturday night with a heavy security presence. There are reports of a few clashes between Palestinian youth and Israeli security forces. None occurred near the Jerusalem Center, which remains safe, secure and peaceful for those living there.

(Posted at 2:05 pm Saturday, Mountain Daylight Time)

The largest missile attack in several years was launched by militants in Gaza early Saturday morning Jerusalem time, targeting cities north of Gaza from Ashkelon to the southern parts of Tel Aviv.  A large number of Hamas armed militants infiltrated Israeli towns bordering the Gaza District.  The attack was unexpected and caught virtually everyone by surprise. The Jerusalem Center and surrounding area have never been threatened during these flare-ups however it is unclear whether the situation will escalate and affect Jerusalem. The 93 students and ex pat Center personnel living at the Center have been asked to remain at the Center through Sunday night. A decision about Monday will be made Sunday evening. However, it seems likely that students et al will be asked to remain at the Center into next week, but decisions on travel outside of the Center will be made on a day-by-day basis.  The Jerusalem Center cancelled its Sunday evening concert and a field trip that would have taken the students to Eilat. 

Academic instruction will continue as scheduled; on Sunday students will be working in the Center on a humanitarian project.  The challenges over the next while are with travel outside of the Center. These will be evaluated as the conflict unfolds.