See below for information about JUC's campus policies and services.
JUC will provide a pillow, blankets, and towels for your use during the academic year. JUC can provide flat sheets but not fitted sheets. Therefore, you may choose to bring your own set of twin XL sheets and pillow case. It is your responsibility to wash your own linens. Please use the campus linens only inside of your room.
Our campus laundry room is open 24 hours a day for student use. The cost of the laundry facilities is included in long-term student fees for on-campus students, and JUC will provide laundry detergent for washing. It is quicker and more efficient for you to use the clotheslines than the dryer on sunny days.
Water from the taps at JUC and from drinking fountains in Jerusalem is safe to drink, but it does not contain fluoride like water in the U.S. Our interior courtyard has a drinking fountain with cold water. Water and ice are also available on the beverage counter in the dining hall, and bottled water is available in the Oasis. Remember that water is a precious commodity in the Middle East, so if you have any extra, please use it prudently (e.g. to water a plant).
Because the electrical current in Israel is 50 hertz/220 volts, it is important to check the requirements of all of your electronic items before using them here. You will need to use a converter or transformer if your electronic items handle only U.S. electrical requirements (60 hertz/110 volts). In general, all new electronics run on any voltage, but it is best to double check. If your electronic item is not rated for 50 cycles/220 volts and you do not use a converter or transformer, you will permanently damage or destroy what you have plugged in. Note that the shape of the plug outlets in Israel is different than in the US. Fortunately, plug adaptors are inexpensive and easy to acquire once you arrive.
Our campus is not air conditioned. However, on hot days (early fall, late spring), rooms can be cooled sufficiently by opening the windows at night and in the morning, and closing them in the afternoon. Jerusalem enjoys wonderful afternoon breezes off of the Mediterranean, and our thick, stone walls do the rest to keep our buildings at a comfortable temperature in the summer. We have enough fans to help cool those stubbornly hot or stuffy places.
While we have central heating on campus, most rooms will not receive heat to a level which most North American students are accustomed. During cold weather, rooms are heated from 5am-10am and again from 5pm-10pm. In the winter, hot water for showers is available during room heating hours only. Please time your showers accordingly, and keep your showers to a reasonable length so that all students may have hot water.
A very limited number of parking spaces are available at the entrance to the university. Our parking area sometimes becomes quite crowded, even to the point of having to block some cars in. Vehicles are also quite expensive to purchase and maintain in Israel (prices are double that of a comparable vehicle purchased in the U.S., and gasoline costs $8.00 per gallon). It is no longer possible to ship a vehicle purchased outside of Israel into the country and keep it for more than 6 months without shipping it back. Because of all this this, it is simply not feasible for on-campus students to have a vehicle. Cars may be rented nearby campus for reasonable prices.
Sunbathing is permitted only on the 4th floor rooftop terrace of the main building. Please note that tar on the roof can ruin clothing and towels. JUC linens, blankets, and mattresses may not be used for sunbathing. Please do not lie, stand or walk on the domes as this causes them to leak water during the winter into the rooms below.
Because of cultural norms of modesty and because our gardens frequently have visitors from off campus, it is not permitted to sunbathe on the lawn or in the garden.
For reasons of building structure, as well as safety and security, it is extremely important that students do not go on or in the following areas: (1) the domes on the roof of the main building, (2) the roof of the classroom building, (3) the roof of the dormitory building, or (4) in the back of the kitchen.
If you are having family/friends visit from overseas, you may be able to pay to have them stay with you in your room. You must first obtain permission from your roommate(s) and the administrative office in order to make arrangement for payment.
All students must write their name on the sign-out sheet at the campus gate when leaving campus. We ask that you note your departure time and your (approximate) destination. We do not do this to keep you on a short rope, but to know where to be able to find you should there be an incident in town.
If you plan on being away from campus overnight (other than for class-related field studies), you are required to sign out at the reception desk. We need to know where you are going and how to reach you in the event of an emergency on campus or back home.
If you are under 21 and plan on traveling outside of Israel, you must submit prior written permission from your parents or guardian to the Director of Student Services.
During the summers and the winter break between semesters, special permission must be granted by the JUC staff for continuing students to stay on campus. Applications to stay on campus over breaks can be filled out in the Administrative Office. There is a daily fee for each day on campus during a break, and meals will not be provided.
Married students may live on campus if space is available (the spouse of a full-time student living on campus is charged board only). Students with children may also apply to live on campus as space is available. Children 6 years and under may live in their parents' dorm room at no additional cost. Families with children 7 and older may have the option to acquire a second dorm room at an additional cost).
If no appropriate on-campus accommodations are available, we can assist in your search for housing to help your family adjust to life in Jerusalem. Although it is difficult to provide an estimate for every case due to lifestyle variables, we suggest that you should plan on spending approximately $1500 per month (or more) for costs related to off-campus housing.
If you have school-age children, please note that the English-language elementary, junior high, and high schools in Jerusalem are private schools where tuition and fees total several thousand dollars per semester, depending on the age of the child.
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