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

IntroductionMy interest in Jews and the State of Israel grew almost imperceptibly throughoutmy life, until I enrolled in a semester study abroad at the Brigham Young UniversityJerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. I was fascinated by everything I saw andlearned in Israel, but I was not fully aware to what extent my experiences growing up amember of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had influenced myperceptions. My family is not particularly connected to the Near East, nor does it holdany important political or religious standing in the Church. But from my Latter-day Saintculture and heritage I gained a sincere interest in the Jewish people and their destiny asGod's Covenant people. By the time I left Israel after my semester studying there, I knewit would be a central aspect of my life from then on.One of the people whose teachings most influenced my developing interest inIsrael and the gathering of the Jews was the prophet Ezra Taft Benson, who was the firstChurch prophet I remember. I grew up hearing stories of his time as Secretary ofAgriculture, and especially of his unfailing support for the State of Israel. But I hadnever come across any book or even article that described his relationship with the Statein any detail. When I began to explore my own genesis in Near Eastern studies, I becamecurious about what experiences had been central to President Benson's views on the Jewsand Israel. Yet, while his deep interest in the Jewish State is mentioned frequently inbiographies and other publications about him, I could find nothing that expounded his1