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

Benson, “I want you to pray to God that he'll spare me for a few more years. I'm writinga history of the Jewish people, and it will take time to finish it.” 167As noted in chapter two, this tendency for Benson to align his religious andpolitical views, and even to some degree project them onto others, was pronounced, butnot unexpected. Nor was this aspect of his perspective entirely unique. In fact, it appearsthat he shared and perhaps even acquired some of his thinking from like-mindedChristian organizations that sought to legitimize Israel's existence in the Christian mind.Among Benson's papers at the Eisenhower Presidential Library is a section entitled“Jewish Literature.” 168 The name is a bit misleading, as it contains relatively little actualJewish literature, and a great deal of Christian literature about the Jewish State. Onebooklet contains several articles from various American Christian leaders who traveled toIsrael in 1949 and published their perceptions of the State, and its right to exist. Many ofBenson's views, which will be explored subsequently, echo the sentiments expressed inthis Christian Report on Israel. 169 The articles feature such titles as, “This Have IWitnessed,” and “Religion in Israel,” and promote American Christian notions of Israel'screation and legitimacy, evidencing the emerging Judeo-Christian solidarity mentioned inchapter two. Mart explains that, while Israelis generally viewed themselves as“pragmatic moderns,” 170 American Christians were entirely captivated by the religious167168169170Benson, “Message to Judah,” 2.Noted in chapter twoThe title of the booklet is “A Christian Report on Israel.” However, publishing information is notincluded in the microfilm copy, so citation is a bit complicated. A brief search did not produce itssource, but it can be found in Ezra Taft Benson, Papers, 10:29, “Jewish Literature,” EisenhowerPresidential Library (Abilene, Kansas).This is, of course, not meant to downplay Israelis' belief in their divine right to the land, despite theirsecular leanings. I merely mean to emphasize the difference between Christian perceptions and the waymost Israelis viewed themselves in the early days of the State.54