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

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Ben Gurion and Levi Eshkol, both of whom, he claims, requested to hear the storypersonally from Benson. The Secretary even sent the full copy of Hyde's dedicatoryprayer on the Mount of Olives to Ben Gurion in 1964. 175The Secretary seems to have truly cherished this relationship with “the Old Man.”He often speaks of it warmly and proudly, and they maintained contact throughout theirlives, until the leader's death in 1973. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any documentsrelating to Benson's feelings at Ben Gurion's passing, but at Benson's first meeting withBen Gurion, he was, Dew claims, “taken with Ben Gurion,” whom he considered anenlightened leader. He wrote in his journal, “He impressed me also as a man who has aclear insight into what Israel needs to do. He was not groping for answers. . . He was notafraid to oppose his own people, or his Cabinet, or anyone else. . . You knew exactlywhere you stood.” 176 A JTA newspaper article describing Benson's 1957 trip notes thatBenson “lauded the 'wonderful spirit' shown by the wounded 177 Prime Minister.” 178In aletter to a friend in 1961, as Benson was preparing to leave Washington, Benson againreflects on that relationship. This statement comes in response to an accusation in aCalifornia newspaper questioning Benson's time in Washington as manifesting elementsof anti-semitism. 179He dismisses the unfounded claim, referring to both the Church'saffinity for the Jewish people, and his personal relationship with Israeli leaders as proofthat anti-semitism has never been a part of Benson's leadership.175A series of letters was exchanged between Benson and Ben Gurion which reveal that the Orson Hydestory was a topic of frequent interest between the two. More will be said later about these letters.176 As quoted in Dew 326177 Benson had met with Ben Gurion in the hospital, since the Prime Minister had recently been injured bya land mine explosion.178 “Israeli Press Hides News of Aide's Suicide from Ailing Ben Gurion,” JTA, November 4, 1957,http://archive.jta.org/.179 Drew Pearson, “Ribicoff Wanted No Bigotry,” San Bernadino Evening Telegram, December 20, 1960.58
I consider President David Ben Gurion and members of his cabinetamong my good friends, several of whom have said they have met no onewho understands the Jewish people as I do. Of course, I have indicatedthat I am simply reflecting the feeling of the Church regarding the Jewishpeople.” 180As Benson reiterates above, he indeed counted several Israeli leaders among his friends,and he never missed a chance to reaffirm that friendship. This is evidenced throughletters and visits, and even in Benson's effort to attend a luncheon held in Ben Gurion'shonor at the White House in March, 1960. Benson was “happy to renew [his]acquaintance with the Prime Minister as [he] had enjoyed [his] visit with him in hishospital room in Israel in the fall of 1957.” 181In fact, the Secretary of Agriculture, and later Apostle, was able to “renew [his]acquaintance” with Ben Gurion on several occasions. A series of correspondencebetween the two, in the form of letters obtained from Ben Gurion's personal papers,demonstrates the longevity of their relationship, and the mutual esteem with which theyregarded one another. 182 The series comprises six letters from Benson to Ben Gurion, andsix in return, beginning in early 1958 and end in 1968. An additional letter in 1970 isfrom Michael Ravid, Consul General in Los Angeles, expressing Benson's good wishesfor the aging Ben Gurion. I was unable to ascertain whether more correspondence exists,but the remarks in these letters are very telling of the relationship between the two.The letters reveal that Benson, as expected, shared his Mormon faith with thePrime Minister openly and often. In the first letter the Prime Minister thanks Benson for180181182Ezra Taft Benson, letter to Mr. Ken Dyal, January 9, 1961, Ezra Taft Benson Papers, 25: Subseries S,Eisenhower Presidential Library (Abilene, Kansas).Ezra Taft Benson, letter to Christian A. Herter, Secretary of State, March 10, 1960, Ezra Taft BensonPapers, 25:Subseries S, Eisenhower Presidential Library (Abilene Kansas).Ezra Taft Benson letters, Ben Gurion Archives (Sde Boker, Israel).59
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AcknowledgementsI am indebted to Pr
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Table of ContentsIntroduction - 1Ch
Page 6 and 7:
elationship in any depth.In researc
Page 8 and 9:
friendships with various Israeli le
Page 10 and 11:
Joseph Smith taught that Latter-day
Page 12 and 13: Gentiles, and it will be again inha
Page 14 and 15: for their long suffering. Yet, he,
Page 16 and 17: focus on both the fulfillment of pr
Page 18 and 19: Smith and Brigham Young, as previou
Page 20 and 21: Smith, the members of the group “
Page 22 and 23: Jews.'” 46Benjamin further descri
Page 24 and 25: Chapter 2: Benson's Religious Leade
Page 26 and 27: audiences. The first, called, “Je
Page 28 and 29: Benson's sense of kinship for the J
Page 30 and 31: eturn of the Jews to the land of Pa
Page 32 and 33: general mention of his efforts at s
Page 34 and 35: Or perhaps it did not aid in his ap
Page 36 and 37: about Jews and Israel, throughout t
Page 38 and 39: and Peter Grose describe the frustr
Page 40 and 41: Israel's victory in the Six Day War
Page 42 and 43: the Messiah. Indeed, both Benson an
Page 44 and 45: those visits, as opposed to those o
Page 46 and 47: U.S. agricultural products on credi
Page 48 and 49: The American public, though divided
Page 50 and 51: States.” 133Indeed, a Gallup poll
Page 52 and 53: with Britain and France, for their
Page 54 and 55: many Americans that Israel was now,
Page 56 and 57: those experiences to give validity
Page 58 and 59: Benson, “I want you to pray to Go
Page 60 and 61: gathering. Some of those themes inc
Page 64 and 65: sending “two Mormon Books,” and
Page 66 and 67: Yet Ben Gurion's next letter, dated
Page 68 and 69: on this occasion with Shimon Peres
Page 70 and 71: cultivate land for crops in the 194
Page 72 and 73: attitude in the Synagogue Light art
Page 74 and 75: United States, his views on Israel
Page 76 and 77: eminded the host that he had not be
Page 78 and 79: Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
Page 80 and 81: "Though Thy servant is now far from
Page 82 and 83: BibliographyAlteras, Isaac. Eisenho
Page 84 and 85: Madsen, Truman G. “Mormon Attitud
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