“We will return to the Holy Land… like a magnet is drawing us in.
Some will literally come back, some only by the power of the Spirit.
It won’t matter because we will remember in clarity
–the colors, smells, sensations, sites, and people.”
Return to the Holy Land
In mind, in spirit, in person…
Jerusalem Center Alumni Holy Land Tours
Applications for the spring 2024 Jerusalem Center Alumni Holy Land tour: May 16 – May 27, 2024 are now closed.
Applications for the Fall 2024 tour will open in January 2024.
The Fall 2024 tour will be November 2 – 13, 2024.
Alumni have the opportunity to return to the Holy Land with a guest and other alumni from various BYU Jerusalem study abroad semesters. Tour lengths and itineraries will vary from tour to tour based on circumstances, but all tours will be rich with site visits, spiritual perspectives, and rich learning experiences. On each tour, alumni are accompanied by a former Jerusalem Center professor and an Israeli guide.
Travel groups will spend a few days in the Galilee region where they will stay at Ein Gev resort, which is the same kibbutz where alumni stayed as students. The rest of the time will be spent based out of Jerusalem where alumni and guests stay at the BYU Jerusalem Center. From there, trips will be made to the dead sea region and Bethlehem.
Our goal is to create cohesive travel groups of participants of varying ages who will look out for each other and forge new friendships while sharing unique and meaningful experiences. Ultimately, these tours are created by volunteers in an effort to bring alumni closer to Christ. We also strive to provide alumni’s guests an experience that will strengthen their commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and a greater understanding of the BYU Jerusalem student experience.
Alumni tours are very popular and applicants are often not selected to come or may not be selected in times that are most convenient for them. We encourage applicants to seek out other Holy Land tours from other providers that suit their schedules best. Space limits our ability to accommodate everyone.
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Only full program Jerusalem Center Alumni can apply
These tours are not available to those who stayed at the Jerusalem Center as part of another campus program. This is only available to those who were a student on the program for a full semester or term sometime since the program began in 1968.
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All participants of these tours must be 30 years or older
This includes all alumni and their travel companions.
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No family or semester groups can join alumni tours
We encourage groups traveling together to arrange their own holy land trips. Space is very limited and demand is very high on our tours. We strive to connect decades of alumni and leave semester and family connections in the hands of those semesters and families.
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All tour participants must follow the policies and standards of the BYU Jerusalem Center
All alumni and guests who go on our tours must commit to abide by the policies that the Jerusalem Center students agree to. This includes the non-proselytizing agreement while in Israel and a very strict dress code while in the Jerusalem Center and in Jerusalem.
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All participants are required to be physically fit and free of all mobility issues
All participants on these tours must be healthy and physically fit enough to climb at least 30 flights of stairs and walk 6-8 miles most days. This is not an appropriate tour for anyone with mobility issues. There is no work around.
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There is not a waitlist for tours
Each travel group is selected at the end of each application period. All who wish to go on a tour should apply again for each tour that they wish to participate in until they are selected.
Know When To Apply
Receive an alert when applications become available for alumni tours.
Only former Jerusalem study abroad student alumni can apply for these trips. Alumni may bring a travel companion. The minimum age for participants is 30 years old.
Study the Geography
Get out those old map manuals. It is amazing what you might learn and what might come back to you!
Get out those old map manuals. It is amazing what you might learn and what might come back to you!
Read Your Journal
Reading about your time there is sure to transport you. If you didn’t keep a journal, read letters you have saved.
Reading about your time there is sure to transport you. If you didn’t keep a journal, read letters you have saved.
Read Your Scriptures
The Old & New Testaments remind us of the places we grew to love during our sojourn in that special place.
The Old & New Testaments remind us of the places we grew to love during our sojourn in that special place.
Call Former Roommates
Talking about Jerusalem makes it seems less far away. Contact group friends or plan a reunion for your group!
Talking about Jerusalem makes it seems less far away. Contact group friends or plan a reunion for your group!
THE JERUSALEM CENTER
ISN’T JUST A BUILDING.
IT’S THE PEOPLE & THE SPIRIT WITHIN
As we consider ways that we can feel the way we once felt and know the things we once knew while living and serving in the Jerusalem Center, we can have a similar experience right where we are. We don’t need to be in the Holy Land or within the walls of the Center to feel the love of our friends and of our Savior.
We can study about the Holy Land and the scriptures in our own homes and in our church buildings. While conducting interviews of former students, faculty, and service couples, the Jerusalem Center Alumni officers hear repeatedly that people realized more fully after their study abroad experiences how they don’t have to go to Jerusalem to feel the spirit or to gain a testimony of the Savior.