Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — As Israel began to take its avowed "mighty revenge" for the Hamas invasion by pounding Gaza with the fiercest barrage of rockets in the 75-year history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, students at the BYU Jerusalem Center peacefully attended classes on the campus.
"The city is quiet," the center's director, Eric Huntsman, wrote on Facebook. "It has been a busy, good day, but I had time to take my accustomed few minutes in the afternoon in the biblical garden to read, reflect, pray and gaze over the city. I love it here."
He added, "Thanks for all the continued good wishes and shared prayers. We can feel them!"
Huntsman declined an interview request, as did a student at the center.
The 93 students have spent the past three days sheltering in place at the center as the majority of the fighting has happened 40 to 60 miles away. Hamas killed over 1,000 Israelis in a surprise attack that began Sunday and included missile strikes and the shooting of civilians in Israeli territory, according to Reuters. Israel responded Tuesday with missiles that killed more than 800 and wounded over 4,000, many of them civilians.
Alarms and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem on Sunday and again on Monday afternoon, an indication that Israel's Iron Dome missile-interception system was actively tracking missiles.
On Monday, "Everyone at the center, including students, moved to the center's shelters for the short duration of the attack," a BYU Jerusalem Center update reported.
Huntsman's Facebook post reported that all remained peaceful at the center.
"There have been some disturbances in Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem," the BYU update said. "However, areas around the center and most of Jerusalem remain calm, but tense, with a heavy Israel security presence."
Students remained at the center all day on Monday and Tuesday. They spent most of each day in classes, which is the plan for the rest of the week.
Field trips planned for this week were canceled.
One student posted photos of smiling students and staff on Facebook and said she was "at the BYU Jerusalem Center, where having fun in interesting times is the order of the day!!!"
She noted that she was happy and wrote, "We are very safe and secure!"
On Monday, the Jerusalem Center's administrative team gave a full briefing to students, faculty and staff.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsors BYU and the Jerusalem Center. BYU officials have access to a robust security information network. The BYU Jerusalem Center is posting occasional security updates at https://jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/security-updates.
The center is located near several important Muslim sites.
"These kinds of flareups have occurred in the past," the center's first security update noted. "The center has never been threatened by any of them. Even if missiles are fired toward Jerusalem, the militants would be targeting government buildings in West Jerusalem. East Jerusalem, where the center is located, has never been targeted."
