Ezra Taft Benson and the State of Israel - Brandeis Institutional ...

convinced many Christians that God truly was with the Jews in Israel, and manyAmericans that Israel was a solid U.S. ally against encroaching Soviet power in theMiddle East. 67 Yet, Benson seems unaffected either by Israel's early socialist leanings, orby the 1967 War, and his messages remained remarkably similar, evidencing thecontinuity of his convictions and his efforts to disseminate them.Yet, the two speeches bear some important differences as well, in both content andpurpose. Elder Benson, as Apostle to the Church, in 1950, focuses on the Hyde'sprophetic call to dedicate the land of Palestine for the return of the Jews. He includeswithin this explanation the story of another emissary to Palestine 30 years later (1873),George A. Smith, who likewise dedicated the land for the return of the Jewish people, andemphasizes the promise that “the barrenness and sterility of the land would be removed,that springs of water would burst forth, that the land would become fruitful again.” 68This emphasis on the redemption of the land is another theme that reappears often inBenson's writings, especially as they relate to his work as Secretary of Agriculture. 69As noted, Benson's emphasis here seems to be on fulfillment not just of ancientprophecy, but of modern prophecy as well. He explains Hyde's belief that Great Britainwould play a prominent role in bringing the Jews back to their homeland, and thenasserts, “Almost immediately following the visit of George A. Smith to this land,organizations began to come into existence, the purpose of which was to sponsor the676869Michael Oren, Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present (New York:W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007), 527.Benson, “Jews Return to Palestine,” 4While this theme clearly references his religious views, it will be addressed more specifically in thefollowing chapter.25