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

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United States, his views on Israel are remarkably similar. He, like his Evangelicalcounterparts, viewed the Jews as God's Chosen People, with an ancient and legitimateclaim to the land, the validity of which could be seen through the miraculoustransformation of the land under the Jewish hand. Despite the reticence of the cabinetwithin which he worked, he followed the path established by other zealous Christians andpro-Israel politicians before him.Yet Benson is also somewhat unique, as much for his distinctive Mormon views,as well as in that his determined support seems to have changed little from before, during,and after his time in Washington. Ezra Taft Benson was and remained a loyal supporterof the Jewish State.70
EpilogueAlthough I have not chosen to include it in this thesis, mostly because I couldobtain little evidence from which base any analysis, Benson's relations with Israelcontinued long past his 1976 “Message to Judah.” As the State of Israel became moreestablished, and Benson rose to greater prominence in his Church leadership, his writingsand remarks revolved less around the Jewish State, and more around pressing concernsamong Church membership. However, his relationships with Israelis remained strongand his interest keen. He travelled to Israel again as apostle in 1979 to participate in thededication of a park on the Mount of Olives memorializing Orson Hyde's 1841dedication. In fact, the letter from Teddy Kollek, mayor of Jerusalem, informing theChurch that it would be authorized to put up a plaque and complete a memorial garden inhonor of Hyde, was sent directly to Benson. He had often suggested the idea of acommemorative garden, which the Church would gladly provide, to his Israeli friends. 210Benson was very pleased at its acceptance and “felt he had had a small hand in it.” 211A few years later, when Brigham Young University, funded and operated by theChurch, began to build its Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies on Mount Scopus,opposition raged among the Orthodox community. In order to diminish their opposition,Benson was again cited for his strong bond and respected name in Israel. In a radiobroadcasted interview, Michael Shani, who had spent a year and a half in Utah (and210211The Hyde Memorial Garden stands on five acres of land on the Mount of Olives and is free and open tothe public.Dew, Biography, 433.71
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AcknowledgementsI am indebted to Pr
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Table of ContentsIntroduction - 1Ch
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elationship in any depth.In researc
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friendships with various Israeli le
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Joseph Smith taught that Latter-day
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Gentiles, and it will be again inha
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for their long suffering. Yet, he,
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focus on both the fulfillment of pr
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Smith and Brigham Young, as previou
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Smith, the members of the group “
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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 62 and 63: Ben Gurion and Levi Eshkol, both of
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 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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