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

eturn of the Jews to the land of Palestine.” 70Clearly Benson, like many of the Mormonleaders before him, was convinced of the role of Latter-day Saint involvement, thoughnot through preaching in the land, in bringing about the fulfillment of the Biblicalprophecies regarding the gathering of the Jews.Benson's “Message to Judah” in 1976 includes many of the same elements – anexplanation of Hyde's visit, reference to his prayer of dedication and a brief mention ofthe gathering that began relatively shortly after. Yet he entirely excludes Elder George A.Smith's visit in 1873, spending much more time quoting passages of the prayer thatilluminate Mormon hope for a restoration of Jews to Palestine. Perhaps Benson's 1976choice to include only Hyde's mission to dedicate Palestine was because of his emphasison Mormon kinship with the Jews. Hyde, Benson pointed out to David Ben Gurion in1964, was “of Jewish descent.” 71 Overall, the emphasis is much less on fulfillment ofLatter-day Saint prophecy than on evidence of fulfillment of ancient prophecy in general,and the accompanying Mormon approbation. Yet a further element of interest is the factthat Benson does not end there. Instead he tells how Levi Eshkol in 1960 asked to hearthe Orson Hyde story, and that Ben Gurion in 1964 even requested that Benson send himall the information regarding the story so that he could include it in his history of theState of Israel. 72 This is another aspect that Benson had brought up before, and whichseems to hold great significance in his memory. He uses it here to further witness of “the707172Benson, “Jews Return to Palestine,” 4Ezra Taft Benson, Letter to David Ben Gurion, December 9, 1964, Ben Gurion Archives, (Sde Boker,Israel).Benson, “Message to Judah,” 4.Apparently Ben Gurion never finished this History; further research needs to be conducted to seewhether he indeed had plans to include the Hyde story in his work.26