B.Y.U. in Zion

Trouble for a Mormon center

A dozen Christian groups, ranging from Greek Orthodox to Evangelical Protestant, have long operated educational centers in Jerusalem without difficulty. So have the Mormons, but their local branch of Brigham Young University has now come under fire from Jews who fear that its real purpose is to serve as a center for convert-seeking missionaries.

B.Y.U.'s Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies opened quietly in 1968, operating in various rented quarters and offering semester-long courses to students from the main Utah campus. In 1980 the university was offered a long-term lease for its own campus on a plum site: a 6.6-acre plot...

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