Jerusalem Center program won't be resumed in fall after all

PROVO — The same day Hezbollah fired a new rocket that reached deeper into Israel than previous strikes in the 18-day conflict, Brigham Young University announced Friday it would not resume student programs at its Jerusalem Center this fall.

Students had responded enthusiastically to BYU's June 9 announcement that after nearly six years the university would resume its study-abroad program at the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies.

The university planned a scaled-down program with 44 students this fall, a quarter of the center's capacity. BYU spokesman Michael Smart said 132 students applied.

The school was days from announcing which students were accepted to the program.

"They were supposed to let us know by the end of this week," said Abigail Bradshaw, a senior from Elkhart, Ind., who wa looking forward to going to Israel with her sister, Jayne.

Instead, BYU sent an e-mail to applicants early Friday announcing the program was closed down again until further notice.

"They told us they couldn't make any promises about opening it again in the future," Bradshaw said.

Jerusalem is far from the fighting, and BYU's center is not in any immediate danger. It remains open to visitors and continues to offer community outreach and service programs.

BYU's decision disappointed students but didn't surprise them, given the daily reports of missile attacks in Israel.

"I was really excited to apply, but I knew in the last two weeks that things had changed drastically," Jayne Bradshaw said. "I knew I was hoping against hope, but it's still hard to get your hopes up and all of a sudden find out you can't go."

Lauren Jesperson has been riding an emotional roller coaster with each wave of news about the center.

She was excited by the announcement the program would open in the fall, then crushed when she couldn't apply because she is a sophomore and applicants had to be juniors or seniors. She still looked for a silver lining.

"I thought having to wait would just give me a year to save up money," the 19-year-old Orem native said.

Friday's news was a fresh blow, but she remained positive.

"It's really disappointing. It's a such a great opportunity. I'm thinking about minoring in ancient Near Eastern studies and I wanted to go and immerse myself in the area. I hope in another year everything will be OK and I can go."

Jayne Bradshaw felt the same way. "Things change so fast there," she said. "They can go from hot to cold just as fast as they went from cold to hot. Hopefully the program will open again while I'm still a student."