BYU Jerusalem Center

One hot afternoon, I was on a hill overlooking the border between Syria and Israel. As we walked down the hill, we talked about how some Latter-day Saints de-emphasize the importance of Christ’s Crucifixion.

This will be the first BYU Jerusalem Center program in over two years when students and staff were first sent home in March 2020.

At 6:45 a.m. on Nov. 14, 1985, President Gordon B. Hinckley, chairman of the Executive Committee of the BYU Board of Trustees, received an urgent phone call from BYU President Jeffrey R. Holland.

In the wake of President Trump's Jerusalem announcement, BYU has created a travel restriction to protect the safety of students and staff.

Today marks a unique 175th anniversary in Church history. On October 24, 1841, Elder Orson Hyde traveled to Jerusalem, climbed the Mount of Olives, and dedicated the land for the return of the Jewish people. He offered a dedicatory prayer that focused on the gathering of Judah, the building up of Jerusalem, and the building of a temple.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, were in Jerusalem last week to attend the 2015 International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference. During the trip, Elder Andersen visited Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. They were joined by Sister Andersen; Stephen Rockwood, the newly announced managing director of the Church's Family History Department; and Eran Hayet, director of the Brigham Young University (BYU) Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. They discussed the BYU Jerusalem Center, a Church-owned landmark for the past 27 years, and the Church’s work to preserve family history.

With all this talk of Mormonism back home, and the state of Mormon-Jewish relations, I decided to go Mormon-hunting here in Jerusalem. Didn’t need to look far. Just up the hill there. On the slopes of Mt. Scopus.