Happy Birthday Jerusalem Center

Short trip down memory lane...

Today, May 16, is the twentieth birthday of the dedication of the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies! I had the privilege of living there for a short time- too short. I will treasure the friends I met there and the bus rides to all the sites. One professor's wife would always say, "Oh hell, another Tel!" which just about covers the long and hot trips. Most importantly, it changed my view on the Holy Land, the old testament, and the new testament. I loved my experience learning from my Palestinian and Israeli teachers in addition to Monte Nyman who is one of my heroes. If you ever have the chance to go to Jerusalem, GO! It will change your life. I want to share these brief stories from an article in LDS Living (current issue) on this magnificient structure...

During President Kimball's 1979 visit to Jerusalem, he was shown a number of possible building sites. But after walking onto a large open field north of the Orson Hyde Memorial Garden, he felt inspired that it was the spot where the Center should be built. "I knew that site was almost certainly unavailable," recalls David B. Galbraith. "Sure enough, we were told over and over again by Israelis in real estate and government positions that it was impossible to get that site. Everyone wanted it." Even the Israeli government was eyeing the same piece of real estate to build the Supreme Court building. "But we remained undeterred," Galbraith says . . .

The next year was spent negotiating with Israeli officials, and ultimately the University was granted a forty-nine-year lease for the coveted plot of land with an option to renew. "Certainly it was a miracle that the government would even entertain our desire to build on that site," Galbraith says. "We'd been told over and over again that it was hopeless."
Obtaining the lease was a huge victory, but it was just the beginning of a very lengthy process. The property was "green zoned" - not zoned for construction - so, according to Galbraith, the second miracle was getting the zoning changed. In fact, "many miracles occurred that led to the University's obtaining the most prestigious building site in all Jerusalem," D. Kelly Ogden says. And after three years of submitting plans and working to obtain all the required permits, construction began in August 1984.