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

Chapter 2: Benson's Religious Leadership and IsraelWritings by and about Ezra Taft Benson reveal his attitudes concerning Israel tobe both a product of his Mormon heritage, as well as broader American-Christian and1950s political sentiment. Yet they also reveal subtle evidences of a uniquely passionateattitude toward the Jewish State, and its place in world history and global politics.Politically, Benson is best remembered as United States Secretary of Agriculture underPresident Dwight D. Eisenhower throughout most the 1950s. In this capacity, and evendecades later, he is usually noted for his fervent dislike of what he saw as socialistpolicies in farming and government – a fervor that was likewise reflected in a deepmistrust and dislike for Communism. He, like much of America in the 1950s, wasacutely wary of ideologies and people who might spread what he regarded as the greatthreat of Communism. 53Benson was indeed a crusader for the principles of freedom, as he saw them. Yetwithin his writings is also ample attestation of the importance of what he regarded as awondrous fulfillment of ancient and modern prophecy: the gathering of the Jews to theirancient homeland. His political views in both respects are intertwined with his Latter-daySaint background and personal religious beliefs. In examining his attitudes on the newlyformedJewish State, I have necessarily attempted to divide his writings and activitiesinto chapters devoted separately to his religious and political work. Yet, while thisdivision is necessary, it is also inherently problematic and not a division Benson himself53Sheri L. Dew, Biography of Ezra Taft Benson, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1987), 387-8820