SALT LAKE CITY — After being relocated to Greece, nearly 100 students and staff who were participating in a semester-long program at the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center will return home early.
One week ago, leaders announced plans to relocate 93 students and faculty as well as faculty families and service couples to Greece amid terrorist attacks and war in Israel.
The group left Jerusalem after a week of staying only in the main BYU facility, arriving in Athens on Sunday, October 15.
They were then bused to a hotel near Nafplion.
Now, BYU Jerusalem announced the students will returning home from Greece on October 31.
The announcement cuts the program short for students who were expecting to study and live abroad for the entirety of the semester, until mid-December.
The group arrived in Jerusalem at the beginning of September.
Students were participating in BYU's Jerusalem program, where they study curriculum focused on "Old and New Testaments, ancient and modern Near Eastern studies and the Hebrew and Arabic languages," and take trips to other countries.
Nearly two weeks ago, Israel declared war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas after it launched a surprise attack on the nation during a major Jewish holiday.
Hundreds of people were killed and wounded in the attacks, including a Utah resident who was attending a rave at the time.
