BYU Jerusalem Center Blog

This week A View of Jerusalem was featured by the BYU Newspaper and received glowing reviews from several bloggers.  Here are excerpts from the articles and reviews:

“The book A View of Jerusalem shows how life as a college student in the Holy Land dramatically changed once violent outbreaks between Palestinian rioters and Israeli police erupted in Sept. 2000. What seems to be the first book of its kind, this series of 38 short stories is gaining interest. Written by a former student of the BYU Jerusalem Center, Erin Tolman tells about her experiences while living in the Holy Land during a violent time.” - BYU NewsNet

“So excited is Erin about her new surroundings and the potential adventures lurking behind every corner that she does not see the dangers that are brewing in that part of the world….I completely enjoyed A View of Jerusalem, I read it in one sitting and could not get over the beautifully written descriptions of important religious places that Erin traveled to. Her sincerity in the disappointments of being in lockdown for different periods of the trip, as a safety precaution and other joys and sadnesses she endured made the personality burst through…If you read this book you are sure to fall in love with Erin Sheely Tolman.” - Bethany at b&b ex libris

“The tone of Tolman’s recollections is sincere and almost reverent. There is a quietness to this book that I appreciated and found very moving. It is not a 6 o’clock news documentary on the affairs of a foreign state, rather, A View of Jerusalem is one young woman’s adventure into a strange, beautiful, conflicted land. It is also the story of self and family, of friends and community, and most of all, faith.” - Stacey from Book Thirty

“I enjoyed seeing the Holy Land through her eyes—her voice is honest, the experiences immediate, and I found her spiritual insights especially compelling and uplifting. Reading this brief narrative has awakened my interest in this embattled part of the world, so I’ll be doing more reading on the subject.” - Heather from Litter of Leaves

Also, Corinne is giving away a free book on her blog this week.  Stop by and leave a comment before the 17th for a chance to win a copy.

Even eight years after returning to the United States, the view of Jerusalem’s Old City from the top of the Mount of Olives remained vivid in author Erin Tolman’s mind, as did the sound of gunfire and sirens which marked the beginning of the Second Intifada in September 2000. Unable to let the memories remain only in her journal, Tolman wrote a series of thirty-eight vignettes describing her semester as a student at the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies and titled the collection A View of Jerusalem.

The Holy Land is a place of spiritual and historical significance to millions of people. Tolman, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and as a young college student of history, witnessed the sacredness and the violence which exist side by side in Palestine.

A View of Jerusalem begins on September 29, 2000 when Palestinian rioters and Israeli police clashed in the Old City and sparked a brutal conflict which lasted for years. While Tolman and the other 175 students at the Jerusalem Center remained safe during the following two months, their study abroad experience changed dramatically at that point.

After opening her account with this historically pivotal day, Tolman contrasts life at the Jerusalem Center before and after the violence begins. She visits the Garden Tomb, floats in the Dead Sea, walks on the Temple Mount, and describes the daily routines of the Jerusalem Center. As hostilities erupt and continue, Tolman is able to explore parts of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt until she and the other students are sent home a month early and the Jerusalem Center closed its doors to students. Those doors remained closed until January 2007 when forty-four students returned to study at the Center.

Steven L. Elgan created pencil drawings to accompany ten vignettes. Among the illustrations included are The Jerusalem Center, The Dome of the Rock, St. John the Baptist Church, and the Church of Beatitudes.

For more information or to order, please go to A View of Jerusalem’s website at www.byujc.org

In conjunction with A View of Jerusalem, Tom and I decided to start this blog about all things BYU JC.  Hopefully you’ll find some of them useful or at least interesting.  We’ll be posting news and reviews about the book, but also about the JC itself and the experiences of others who have been there.  If you are  JC’er and have a blog about your experiences (even if it’s old!) and you want to be added to our blogroll please post a comment.