Jerusalem Center Dedicated

Brigham Young University’s newly completed Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies was dedicated on 16 May 1989 by President Howard W. Hunter, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a member of BYU’s Board of Trustees.

The dedication took place in a private ceremony in the center’s auditorium. In attendance were President Thomas S. Monson, Second Counselor in the First Presidency; Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the First Quorum of the Seventy; and personnel of the BYU Center. Also attending were Jerusalem city officials, who have expressed pleasure in the beauty of the center.

A year earlier, on 18 May 1988, President Hunter, representing BYU’s Board of Trustees, signed a renewable 49-year lease for the center. Also signing the lease was Jeffrey R. Holland, then president of BYU.

The new center is located on Mt. Scopus, next to the Mount of Olives. It houses classrooms, lecture halls, an auditorium, a cafeteria, dormitories, a gymnasium, and laundry facilities for BYU students studying in Jerusalem.

BYU’s Jerusalem Center, top, left of center, houses classrooms, an auditorium, a cafeteria, dormitories, and a gymnasium. (Photo by Brent Harker.)