BYU Jerusalem Center Blog

From the limestone balcony outside her bedroom at the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, Erin saw the city of Jerusalem laid out below her – the Dome of the Rock flashing gold in the sun. From that same balcony, she heard gunfire and saw smoke rising from the Old City where Palestinian rioters fought with Israeli police. These violent clashes in Jerusalem flared during September 2000 and continued for months while Erin and 175 other students at the BYU Jerusalem Center traveled through the Holy Land.

In thirty-eight vignettes, we travel with Erin as she hikes through ruins, explores religious and cultural sites, and visits the places where Jesus Christ spent His time on earth. Reading the scriptures in the Garden Tomb, floating in the Dead Sea, climbing Mount Sinai, and wading in the Sea of Galilee are just a few of the experiences that create a firsthand account of the beauty and conflict that exist in this part of the world, a land which holds a place in the heart of so many.

Read A View of Jerusalem.