By SHANNON JOHNSON
shannon@du2.byu.edu
Students cannot go to the Jerusalem Center if they question authority and rules, said Michelle Driggs, a student who attended the Jerusalem Center.
Driggs, a senior from Dallas, Texas, majoring in family science, currently works in the Jerusalem Center office on campus. She went to Jerusalem in 1998 and said she initially felt hesitation and reserve about walking in the streets and meeting the people.
'It later became second nature for me,' Driggs said.
Driggs said that while she was in Jerusalem there were anti-American feelings because of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
'Monica Lewinski is Jewish, and it was an insult to the Jewish people to have an American man hit on a Jewish woman,' Driggs said. 'We had to stay inside the Center for a few days until it was safe to go out.'
The Jerusalem Center implements many rules and policies to help students be cautious and remain safe during their stay in Jerusalem. One student said these rules all have good reasons behind them.
Sara Schwendiman, a senior from Rochester, N.Y., majoring in international development, said she knew the rules of the Jerusalem Center would ultimately protect her.
Schwendiman said some of the more common rules are that everyone must travel in groups of at least three people, and one memeber of the group must be a male. Another rule is that students must stay out of the restricted areas that are designated by the advisers.
'My first week there, a bad bombing occurred. But because our leaders were close to the promptings of the spirit we were warned of danger and no one got hurt,' Schwendiman said. 'After that I never felt scared because I knew that if we followed the instructions we received we would be safe.'
The spiritual nature of Jerusalem outweighs the danger, said Will Smith, a senior from Missoula, Mont., majoring in English. Smith will be going to the Jerusalem Center during the Summer Term.
'I feel confident that we will be protected as long as we follow the counsel of our leaders,' Smith said.
Smith said he is not worried about danger or political problems because he has lived in places where it is pretty dangerous. It will definitely be a different experience from Provo, he said.
'Compared to Provo, it will be a more heated experience. There will be more chance for physical harm and religious debate,' Smith said. 'Emotions and tensions will be high, but that's part of the experience of life.'
Smith said he has lived a sheltered existence in the states, and his time in Jerusalem will open his eyes to the very real political issues out there.
Students who have been on missions or traveled abroad said the Jerusalem experience doesn't seem as scary after going through similar experiences in other countries.
'I feel BYU students who are at the Jerusalem Center are like missionaries for the church in their own right, and they will be protected if they follow the guidelines of their leaders,' said Brita Brown, a graduate student from Cedar City, studying microbiology.
Brown went to Jerusalem during the summer of 1994, and said that the safety of the students was a real concern for her group.
'While we were on a field trip going towards Bethlehem, we had to take a detour through Hebron,' Brown said. 'Our bus was stopped on the street, and several youth were standing nearby holding large rocks. One teenager threw a rock that broke one of the bus's windows,' she said.
Brown said their bus driver yelled out the window in Arabic 'We're on your side!' and the teenagers ran away.
The danger associated with the religious and political tension of Jerusalem wasn't a factor for Brown. She said she wanted to go for the same reasons she went on her mission to Ecuador.
'I have always wanted to go, it is the kind of trip I've always dreamed about because it gave me a better appreciation for the scriptures and a vision of what really happened,' Brown said.
One student's experiences led to new safety precautions for the Jerusalem Center.
Jodi Mofhitz, a senior from Santa Monica, Calif., majoring in psychology, said she feels all the rules were important to follow because she has seen the dangers of not following them during her mission to Indiana.
Mofhitz went to Jerusalem during the Summer Term of 1997, and she said one day she was with a large group of girls who were taking pictures with a man who had a camel.
'It was the first camel we had seen and we were so excited,' Mofhitz said. 'The man offered to take a picture with me on the camel, so I sat on it while my friends took a picture.'
The man jumped on the camel and took off into the desert with Mofhitz still on the camel. She said it was running too fast for her to jump off, and she just prayed to be safe.
'We later found out that men will take American women out into the desert and make the women pay them money to take them back to their group,' Mofhitz said. 'I just kept praying, and the man stopped and just let me off the camel.'
Mofhitz said there is now a strong advisement from the Jerusalem Center that no one accept rides or sit on the camels.
Virginia Carlston, a senior from Salt Lake City, majoring in humanities, said one rule that was hard for her was that students must agree to not talk about the church, even if they are asked questions.
'It didn't feel too restricted, but we all wanted to talk about the gospel, Carlston said. 'But the only way that the Center is able to stay in Jerusalem is because of this agreement.'
The Jerusalem Center also works very closely with the local governments, and they comply with all government requests, said Mofhitz.
Another way the Center keeps good relationships with the people in Jerusalem is to be very politically correct, said Lora Oman, a senior from Springville majoring in humanities.
'They hire the same amount of Jews as Arabs in the Jerusalem Center,' said Oman. 'It is also suggested that we say 'Holy Land', instead of Israel, which favors the Jews, and Palestine, which favors the Arabs. This makes sure we aren't showing a bias,' she said.
Overall, the experience of living in Jerusalem outweighs any danger that students may come across, said Carlston.
'The area is volatile enough that I wouldn't have wanted to go the first time by myself,' Carlston said. 'It was an incredible experience, and the friendships that I have made and kept have been priceless.'