BYU-Hawaii students who have spent a semester at BYU Jerusalem said the experience was spiritually and culturally fulfilling.
Colton McLane, a junior from Washington D.C. studying peacebuilding, who returned from Jerusalem in December, said his major was his motivation. “We talk a lot about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I really wanted to see more of that for myself and have a traveling experience. I wanted to see where the Savior and apostles walked. I went to build myself vocationally, academically, and spiritually,” he said.
Jordan Taylor, a senior from Utah studying finance and entrepreneurship, said he wanted “a real-life experience with the Holy Land. I wanted to set myself apart from others by doing something most don't venture out to do. I didn't know this at the time, but in retrospect, I was hungry for a spiritual experience that was comparable to my mission, and this was it.”
Jezzica Smith, a junior from Arizona studying communications at BYU, said she went because of how much her father talked about the experience. “I had thought about going, but never really made plans to. I was actually supposed to be in the Dominican Republic,” she said, “but plans with that fell through. Over time it became apparent to me that Jerusalem was where I needed to go.”
McLane said living in Jerusalem with students from the other BYU campuses “was pretty crazy. Basically you get up really early and have breakfast in the Oasis, which is basically like the [Caf]. We had Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims, so we got to hear both sides of the conflict. We also had LDS professors, and you study Arabic and Hebrew.
“You’re in a school with 80 people, so you all get really close because you are next to each other 24/7. Whenever you head out to the city, you are always in a group of three.
“The campus is adjacent to the Mount of Olives, and it’s in walking distance from the Garden Tomb or the Garden of Gethsemane.”
Taylor said developing close friendships with fellow students was a strength of the program. “One of the best parts is making new friends with 60-100 people. You are essentially confined to hanging out and be with all these people and you don’t have options to hang out with others.
“You learn to appreciate all the different personalities and respect the different lifestyles, opinions, and life views that each person has. Those 62 people in my group will be considered some of my best friends for the rest of my life, especially one of them.
“There is a joke that not one group goes through the center without having at least two people ending up married. There are three couples from our small group, my fiancé Jezzica and I included. I think this may have to do with the air there.
“You aren’t allowed to wear ‘normal’ clothes, so the girls would wear less than flattering clothes. You weren't allowed to date so it forced you to get to know people on a deep level.” Taylor said this allowed group members to bypass shallow judgments of normal relationships.
In regards to the courses offered, Smith said, “The classes were rigorous and we put a lot of time and effort into our studies. I've never read so much scripture before in my life.
Students spend their free time experiencing Israel. McLane said, “As soon as classes are over, you go into the city and explore the old part. It’s an adventure every day. Each week there are field trip courses where you go to different biblical sights.”
“We also went to Egypt and Jordan. It was amazing. We got to see the pyramids and Petra, and we got to float in the Dead Sea. It was breathtaking.
“Getting to actually meet Israelis and Palestinians was really awesome. [I got to] see places I had only dreamed of. Every Sabbath I could go to the Garden Tomb or the Garden of Gethsemane and sit and contemplate. Those were all pretty special experiences to me.”
Taylor said he’d go back to Galilee if he could because it was the highlight of his experience. “We were able to live in these little cabin-like cabanas right on the shore of Galilee. We spent almost two weeks there laughing, studying, exploring, hiking, doing field trips, tours, going to church, and visiting all the sites. It has a special spirit up there and will be life changing if you ever are able to go there.”
The BYU Jerusalem alumni said they recommend the program to BYUH students. McLane said, “I would 110 percent recommend it to anyone. You are going to get so much more out of it than you ever hoped that you would. It’s really cool that you get to have this travel experience and you get school credit, but don’t compare it to anything else. You get to see Israel in a way that no one else can, and from an LDS perspective while experiencing the culture.”
Taylor said, “Every single person should go and experience what the Holy Land has to offer. Although tours to the Holy Land are great, they do not give you the 3.5-month-long learning experience of living where Jesus once lived. It was and is life-changing. You won’t be the same person upon returning.”