Message sent to all Notre Dame students, on March 10, 2020, at the Jerusalem Global Gateway
Dear Study Abroad Students in Jerusalem:
As you all know, in the past several days, the Israeli government has placed a variety of new requirements on travel to Israel and between Israel and the Palestinian Territory, and in particular, Bethlehem. These policies include: requiring all those who have visited Bethlehem since Thursday, March 5 to self-isolate due to an increasing spread of the COVID-19; requiring new visitors to Israel, no matter their country of origin to self-isolate for fourteen days upon arrival; and shutting down the border crossing between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Due to the border crossing being closed for the foreseeable future, Bethlehem University has also suspended courses. Moreover, we also now have a significant number of our staff who are unable to come to work. This recent turn of events has prompted Notre Dame officials to make the difficult but necessary decision to end all programming in Jerusalem for the remainder of the semester, effective immediately.
NDI has been working very closely with the Jerusalem Global Gateway, our partner institutions, and various units on campus. Please know that we are committed to your academic continuity and will do everything we can to enable you to complete this semester seamlessly. More details will follow in the coming days.
In the immediate future, please be advised of the following:
- You will be departing from Jerusalem as early as Tuesday evening. The University has decided that you will return to the home address we have on record. Anthony Travel is booking your flight now and you will get a travel itinerary soon.
- Upon entry into the U.S. or upon arrival at another international airport, please be prepared to be screened for COVID-19 symptoms.
The University is committed to your academic continuity and is currently making plans to allow everyone to finish the semester either through online learning or by other means. Once these details are finalized, we will contact you via email.
We understand your disappointment with this decision; however, your safety and well-being are the University’s top priority. We are committed to doing everything possible to help you in this transition.
If you have any questions, please write to lstipic@nd.edu or call 1-574-631-2757.
Sincerely,
Hong Zhu
Senior Director of Global Education
Laura Stipic
Associate Director
For questions about any Jerusalem programs, please contact jerusalem@nd.edu (for University of Notre Dame at Tantur sponsored programs) or tantur@nd.edu (for Tantur Ecumenical Institute sponsored programs).