THE INDEPENDENT
TO UNCOVER
NEWSPAPER SERVING
THE TRUTH
NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S
AND REPORT
AND HOLY CROSS
IT ACCURATELY
VOLUME 58, ISSUE 27 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Students abroad react to Stand-up comedy Israel-Hamas conflict club brings laughs Evacuated students discuss their experience fleeing Israel By MEGHAN LANGE Saint Mary’s News Editor
Notre Dame study abroad students in Jerusalem woke up on Saturday, Oct. 7 under different circumstances than the typical study abroad student. The students at the University’s Global Gateway at Tantur, located on the southern edge of Jerusalem, heard air raid sirens early that morning and were evacuated to a bomb shelter immediately. Senior Zachary Zong, who was studying at the gateway at the time, said in an email that the students had about 90 seconds to head to the shelter.
“Jerusalem is quite far away from Gaza; we got about 90 seconds to go into the bomb shelter. Residents in Tel Aviv or the southern part of the country only had about 50 seconds or even less,” he said. At least one explosion was within earshot of Zong and the students, he said. “I was scared. One of the first rockets landed about one mile from where we were living, and we all heard the explosion. That very weekend some of us were planning to go on a sea-to sea hike, Dead Sea to Mediterranean sea, and praise God for keeping us from
doing so,” he wrote. In a National Catholic Reporter article Fr. John Paul, rector of Tantur Ecumenical Institute at the University of Notre Dame at Tantur, also said a missile landed “about a mile and a half to the west” of the campus. Junior Leah Moody, another Notre Dame student in the Jerusalem program, said in an email that Saturday morning came as a sudden shock. “Everything was very unexpected. Friday was a normal, quiet day. We didn’t know what had happened until we see ABROAD PAGE 4
By PETER BREEN Interim Notre Dame Editor
A g r ou p of c om e d ia n s g a t h e r e d i n 213 D eB a r t olo H a l l Mond a y n i g ht , t e l l i n g j ok e s a b ou t t h e i r m ot h e r s , g e t t i n g old a nd l i f e a s t h e m id d le c h i ld . St u d e nt St a nd-u p s of Not r e D a m e [ S S N D ] c onv e n e s w e e k l y t o w or k on id e a s a nd p e r f or m s a b ou t on c e a m ont h in Wa s h i n g t on H a l l’s L a b T h e a t r e . T h e c l u b’s H a l lo w e e n s h o w w a s O c t . 26. S e n ior a nd S S N D pr e s id e nt A id a n Tom p k i n s s a id h e f ou nd ou t a b ou t
S S N D on A c t i v it ie s N i g ht du r i ng h is f i rst semester on c a m pu s . A c c or d i n g t o Tom p k i n s , S S N D’s t a b le a t t h e c l u b f a i r w a s n’t a l l t h a t g l a m or ou s . “A l l [ S S N D ] h a d w a s a m ic r op h on e a nd s p e a k e r, a nd t h e y w e r e j u s t h e c kl i n g p e op le t h a t w e r e w a l k i n g b y,” h e s a id . Tom p k i n s , w h o t r a n s f e r r e d t o Not r e D a m e a ft e r on e y e a r a t V i l l a n o v a Un i v e r s it y, s a id h e s i g n e d u p f or t h e c l u b b e c a u s e s t a nd-u p c om e d y was s om e t h i n g h e s or t of a lw a y s t h ou g ht a b ou t d o i n g . He w e nt t o a f e w S S N D see COMEDY PAGE 4
DIANE PARK | The Observer
Notre Dame in Jerusalem By THOMAS DOBBS From the Archives Leader
A m id t he ongoi ng v io lenc e a nd t u r moi l of 202 3 i n I sr ael, t he Un i v er sit y of Not r e Da me’s endu r i ng c on ne c t ion to Jer u s a lem t a ke s on ne w fou nd sign i f ic a nc e. Dat i ng bac k to t he e a r l y 19 6 0 s, Not r e Da me emba r ke d on a v ision a r y ende av or by i nv e st i ng m i l l ion s of dol l a r s i n t he c r e at ion of t he E c u men ic a l I n st it ute ne a r Jer u s a lem . T h i s a r t ic le del v e s i nto t he r ic h h i sto r y of t he u n i v er sit y ’s t ie s to Jer u s a lem, e x plor i ng moment s of i nter r upt ion a nd r e v i v a l i n it s st ud y a br oad pr og r a m at t he Ta nt u r E c u men ic a l I n st it ute. Fr om t he c h a lleng i ng de c i sion s m ade du r i ng p er io d s of ge op o l it ic a l u nc er t a i nt y to t he
I n t he e a r l y 19 6 0 s, a s t he w or ld g r a pple d w it h r i si ng c ost s, bud get c ut s,
a nd d w i nd l i ng s upp or t for e duc at ion, Not r e Da me emba r ke d on a r em a r ka ble ende av or t h at w ou ld for e v er l i n k it s n a me to Jer u s a lem . T he Un i v er sit y i nv e ste d m i l l ion s of doll a r s i n t he c r e at ion of t he E c u men ic a l I n st it ute, a v i sion a r y pr oje c t sit uate d ne a r Jer u s a lem . Fe w on Not r e Da me’s c a mpu s at t he t i me r e a li z e d t h at t he y h ad ju st b e c ome t he pr oud ste w a rd s of t h i s I n st it ute. A s a c omp el l i ng a r t ic le f r om S c hol a st ic Ma g a z i ne i n 19 6 4 note s, t he que st ion hu ng i n t he a i r : “A m id a t i me of r i si ng c o st s, bud get c ut s, a nd d i m i ni s h i ng s upp or t for e duc at ion, w h at on e a r t h i s t he Un i v er sit y doi ng , bu i ldi ng a mu lt i m i l l ion- dol l a r I n st it ute i n Jer u s a lem ov er w h ic h it h a s no ac adem ic
c ont r ol ? ” T he a n s w er, a s s o of ten h a pp ene d at Not r e Da me, c enter e d a r ou nd a c h a r i sm at ic f ig u r e — Fr. T he o dor e He sbu r g h, w ho s e i n f luenc e w ou ld le av e a n i ndel ible m a r k on t h i s v ent u r e. T he E c u men ic a l I n st it ute w a s not a mer e w h i m but t he br a i nc h i ld of Pop e Pau l V I h i m s el f . I n 19 6 4, t he Pop e env isione d a n e c u men ic a l i nst it ute i n Jer u s a lem a s a te st a ment to h i s me eti ng w it h t he B y z a nt i ne Pat r i a rc h, At henogor a s, a nd to c ont i nue t he e c u men ic a l s pi r it ig n ite d by Vat ic a n I I. T he phy sic a l emb o d iment of t h i s v i sion w a s no le s s i mpr e s si v e. D e sig ne d by Fr a n k Mont a n a f r om Not r e Da me’s D epa r t ment of A rc h ite c t u r e, t he I n st it ute’s bu i ld i ng
e a r ne d ac c ol ade s a s t he mo st b e aut i f u l C h r i st i a n st r uc t u re c on st r uc te d i n Jer u s a lem si nc e Wor ld Wa r I. T he I n st it ute w elc ome d s c hol a r s f r om v a r iou s c or ner s of t he g lob e. A h a nd f u l of r e sident s c hola r s m ade Ta nt u r t hei r home for e x tende d p er io d s, w h i le s en ior s c hola r s g r ac e d it s h a l l s for s hor ter st ay s. Fr. C h a r le s She e d y, a Not r e Da me pr e s enc e, to ok on t he r ole of r e c tor. I n it s e a r l y ye a r s, t he I n st it ute was pr i m a ri l y a C h r i st i a n ende av or, yet t her e w a s a w h i s p er of hop e. Fr. He sbu r g h b e l ie v e d t h at , ov er t i me, a c om mon u nder st a nd i ng w ou ld emer ge a mong t he r e sident s, pav i ng t he w ay
SCENE PAGE 5
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
SWIMMING PAGE 10
M SOCCER PAGE 12
r e c ent r e op en i ng of t he pr og r a m, t he n a r r at i v e w e av e s toget her t he u n iv er sit y ’s endu r i ng c omm it ment to i nter f a it h le a r n i ng a nd c u lt u r a l e xc h a nge w it h t he c omple x bac kd r op of t he M idd le E a st ’s c ontemp or a r y i nst a bi l it y. It ’s a stor y of Not r e Da me’s st ud y a br oad pr og r a m i n I sr ael — a jou rne y m a r ke d by a s pi r at ion a nd ad v er sit y, w it h e c ho e s t h at st r ong l y r e s on ate i n t he t u mu lt uou s pr e s ent of 202 3.
Beginning of Tantur in 1960’s Nov. 3, 1972 | Scholastic Magazine Staff | Jan. 26, 1978 | Observer Staff | Nov. 6, 1977 | Observer Staff |
see JERUSALEM PAGE 3
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S SCENE PAGE 5