Campus Alert Archive
BYU

93 Students Moved from Jerusalem to Athens as the Gaza War Erupts

UTevacuationadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Six days after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, Brigham Young University announced on October 13 that its Jerusalem Center Fall 2023 program of 93 students and faculty would relocate to Greece to continue studies away from the war zone. The group arrived in Athens on Sunday, October 15 and ultimately returned home to the United States on October 31.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Brigham Young University
Private R1 · UT
~34,000 studentsBYU Jerusalem Center Security Updates
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstructionChurch of Jesus Christ Newsroom (reconstructed from quoted announcement)232 chars
The BYU Jerusalem Center Fall 2023 Program is relocating to Greece. The students and faculty will continue their studies in Greece for the remainder of the term. The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

BYU framed the move as a program 'relocation' rather than an 'evacuation,' a distinction the Jerusalem Center later emphasized because a Greece field trip was already on the fall calendar.
The announcement came on October 13, 2023, six days after the October 7 Hamas attack, after the Center had been issuing daily status reports to families.
FOLLOW-UPWebsite
Approximate reconstructionChurch of Jesus Christ Newsroom (reconstructed from quoted announcement)114 chars
Students taking part in the Fall 2023 program at the BYU Jerusalem Center will return home on Tuesday, October 31.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The follow-up confirmed the Fall 2023 program would not resume in Jerusalem; students completed the term remotely or returned to BYU's Provo campus.
The return decision reflected the worsening regional security picture rather than any incident in Greece.
Context

Background

The BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies sits on Mount Scopus in East Jerusalem and hosts semester-long study programs for BYU undergraduates. After the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack and Israel's military response, the Center issued daily security reports to families before announcing on October 13 that its 93 students and faculty would continue the Fall 2023 program in Greece. According to Deseret News, the group arrived in Athens on October 15; a previously scheduled 8-day Greece field trip eased the logistics. The Church newsroom later confirmed students would return to the U.S. on October 31, ending the semester abroad early. BYU's home campus is in Provo, Utah (institution.state UT); the emergency unfolded entirely at the Jerusalem branch facility.
Analysis

Key Findings

A US private R1's overseas branch facility (the Jerusalem Center) issued guidance and relocated 93 students/faculty to a third country within six days of the October 7 attack
BYU drew a deliberate semantic line between 'relocation' and 'evacuation,' aided by a Greece trip already on the program calendar
Communications flowed through the Center's daily security-update bulletins to families rather than a campus mass-notification SMS system
Outcome
All 93 students and faculty, plus faculty families and service couples, relocated safely from the BYU Jerusalem Center on Mount Scopus to Athens, Greece, then returned to the U.S. on October 31, 2023. No injuries.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    BYU Jerusalem Center announces students and faculty will continue studies in Greece - Church Newsroom
    newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org
  2. News
    BYU Jerusalem Center students arrive in Greece - Deseret News
    deseret.com
  3. News
    BYU Jerusalem Center announces students, faculty will relocate to Greece - Church News
    thechurchnews.com
  4. Official
    BYU Jerusalem Center Students to Return Home October 31 - Church Newsroom
    newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org
Tags
study-abroadinternational-branch-campusisrael-gaza-warevacuationjerusalemutahadvisory
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion