- April 1950 Address at the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- May 2, 1976 Address to Mormons, Non-Mormons, and Jews at the Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
ELDER EZRA TAFT BENSON
of the Council of the Twelve Apostles
April, 1950 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
My beloved brethren and sisters: If I may have an interest in your faith and prayers and a portion of the Spirit of the Lord, I desire to give expression to a few thoughts which I have had in my heart since returning from the shores of war-torn Europe some three years ago.
A Miraculous Drama
I should like to speak with reference to a rather miraculous drama that is taking place today before our very eyes. In large measure it is unobserved, particularly by spiritual leaders, and yet it has been predicted by prophets anciently thousands of years ago, and in modern times has been referred to frequently by Latter-day prophets during the past one hundred and twenty years.
In spiritual matters mankind seems inclined to worship the past and ignore new revelation of the present. People generally revere prophets dead and persecute or ignore the living while disregarding current fulfilment of ancient and modern prophecy. This condition was evidenced in the Meridian of Time as the people proclaimed Moses and Abraham and rejected the greatest of all prophets— yea, even the Redeemer of the World. In large measure the same spirit characterizes the present.
This great event of which I speak is one of the signs of the times, and is very important, it seems to me, particularly to all Christian people. It is transpiring in a small strip of country about one hundred and ten miles long and fifty to sixty miles wide, in an area about the size of the state of Vermont. This little section has a population of approximately three million, divided as follows: about 1,700,000 Arabs; approximately 140,000 Christians and other relatively minor sects; and about 1,000,000 descendants of Judah, the son of Jacob.
The number of Jews has multiplied in recent years in this area in a rather remarkable manner. Plans are underway for the incorporation of about a million and a half more during the immediate months ahead, and projected plans call for an eventual population of some four million in this small area.
This one and a half million to be added during the next few months according to plans, will bring approximately two hundred thousand Jews from displaced persons’ camps throughout war-torn Europe; about seven hundred thousand other European Jews; some six hundred thousand now living in Moslem countries; and approximately one hundred thousand from other continents.
In connection with this great drama, it seems to me that the words of the Lord through Isaiah are being fulfilled again, namely that in the last days the Lord would proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder, that the wisdom of their wise men should perish, and the understanding of their prudent men should be hid. (See Isa. 29:14).
The Jewish Problem
While in Europe in 1946, when mention was frequently made in the European papers of the Jewish problem, I received a comment from one of our great industrial leaders in this country who is a student of this particular problem, in which he said the only salvation the Jew has is to be as good a citizen as he possibly can of whatever country he is a resident.
Then later, one of our prominent business leaders quoting a high church authority whose church numbers into many millions in the South American countries, stated that the Jewish people would do their cause much more good if they attempted to move their people from places where they are not wanted to places where they are wanted, for example, South America, where there is ample room.
As Latter-day Saints, familiar with ancient and modern prophecies, we of course do not agree that some other more suitable place should be and will be found for the descendants of Judah.
We believe in the over-ruling power of Providence in the affairs of men and nations. We believe that the Old Testament prophets clearly predicted the dispersion and scattering of Israel and the eventual gathering of Judah in the land given to their fathers.
Lack of Wisdom
Some of our magazines have commented editorially on this same problem. I have before me a quotation made in 1948 from one of our most popular magazines and reprinted in the New York Herald Tribune, which has a wide circulation through their European edition printed in Paris, in which the author states:
What the Jews really need is not a national state, but the right sort of world. “If the nations carried out the provision in the United Nations charter for universal respect for, and observance of, human rights, and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,” it would do far more to solve the Jewish problem than any multiplication of the Jewish population in Palestine.
In 1949, about a year ago, the United States News and World Report commented on the miscalculations of government officials and military experts with reference to the outcome of the struggle then being waged in Palestine, and reported that the “prophecies of the military experts, in particular, have had to be revised.” Then it continued by outlining the predictions of military authorities in our own country and in Great Britain particularly, to the effect that it was only a matter of a very brief time until the Jews would be overcome and be wiped out and “the Arabs would win quick control of Palestine. Now,” the article continues, “these official but private forecasters are in a state of confusion,” and the “U. S. and Britain, as a result, have to adjust their diplomacy, their military strategy to this fact of a strong Israel in the midst of Arab weakness.”
It seems as though this probably is one more evidence of the fact that the wisdom of the wise shall perish. The prophecies of economists, would-be statesmen, and military experts fail, while those of the Lord through his prophets are vindicated.
An interesting sidelight on this recent development is the fact that many of the descendants of Judah who have assembled in Palestine seem to look upon the events of the last few months as being nothing short of miraculous. It is a common comment among them that victory, in their eyes at least, was a miracle which cannot be explained in purely military terms. Some of our recently returned missionaries from Europe who have visited that land bring back the same report.
Prophecies Clear
Now the prophecies are very clear with reference to the dispersion and scattering of Israel and Judah. Moses, Ezekiel, Amos, Jeremiah, and others made clear predictions that Judah would be scattered. The Master referred to it when asked by his disciples for a sign as to the end of the world. The Lord said,
And they [referring to the Jews] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:24.)
Jeremiah made it clear that they, the Jews, would be persecuted with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence and that the Lord would deliver them to be removed to all kingdoms of the earth to be a curse, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: “Because they have not hearkened to my word, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 29:18-19.)
Is it possible that the times of the Gentiles are nearing their fulfillment, that the time is approaching when the gospel will be carried to the descendants of Judah? I think one of the saddest chapters in history is the account of the dispersion and suffering of Judah.
Sufferings of Judah
I have before me a quotation of Will Durant in his book, The Story of Civilization, in which he states that “no people in history fought so tenaciously for liberty as the Jews, nor any other people against such odds.” He says further, “No other people has ever known so long an exile, or so hard a fate.”
Then referring to the siege of Jerusalem under Titus, lasting for 134 days, during which 1,110,000 Jews perished and 97,000 were taken captive; he states that the Romans destroyed 987 towns in Palestine and slew 580,000 men, and a still larger number, we are told, perished through starvation, disease, and fire.
Nearly all Judea was laid waste. So many Jews were sold as slaves that their price fell to that of a horse. Thousands hid in underground channels rather than be captured. Surrounded by Romans they died one by one of hunger while the living ate the bodies of the dead.
Scarcely eight thousand Jews were left in all of Palestine. And even their banishment and scattering didn’t end their persecution. Efforts were made to drive them from various countries. Some nations made an effort to banish them completely. They were accused of causing the “Black Death” that spread through Europe in 1348, and many Jews were crucified therefor.
I have said nothing regarding the Crusades and the dastardly deeds perpetrated in the name of Christianity upon the remaining Jews in Palestine. Yes, the prophecies regarding the dispersion and the suffering of Judah have been fulfilled. But the gathering and re-establishment of the Jews is also clearly predicted.
Gathering of Israel
The gathering has three phases: the gathering of Israel to the land of Zion, the American hemisphere; the return of the Ten Tribes from the countries of the north; and the re-establishment of the Jews in Palestine as God’s chosen people.
This miracle of the return of the Jews was to be one of the events to precede Christ’s second coming, and the scriptures are very clear with reference to this fact. Isaiah said that they shall gather “the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” and “set them in their own land,” that they will “build the old waste,” and “repair the waste cities.” (See Isa. 11:11-12.)
Jeremiah, who predicted so clearly their dispersion, also states that the Lord will “cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it,” and “build them, as at the first.” (Jer. 30:3; 33:7.)
The prophets of The Book of Mormon even more clearly predict the conditions under which they will gather. These prophets also foresaw the time when they would begin to believe in Jesus Christ, that the kings of the Gentiles would be as nursing fathers and their queens nursing mothers in helping to bring about their return. These prophets make it clear that eventually the fulness of the gospel will be carried to Jerusalem and to the descendants of Judah.
In our day, in that first visit of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph, mention was made that the “dispersed of Judah would be gathered from the four corners of the earth.” Thirteen years later, when Moses delivered the keys for the gathering of Israel and the Kirtland Temple was dedicated, the Prophet Joseph made further reference to the promises made to Judah and appealed to the Lord that the time may soon come when the children of Judah would return to the land promised to their father, Abraham.
In some of the revelations in The Doctrine and Covenants, particularly the 133rd Section, reference is also made to the fact that the elders would go to the nations of the earth, to the Gentiles first, and also to the Jews, that the Jews would “flee to Jerusalem,” and that “Judah, after their pain shall be sanctified.” (D. & C. 133:8, 13, 35.)
Dedication of Palestine
As Latter-day Saints, from the very inception of this latter-day work, we have had a deep interest in this group of our Father’s children, the descendants of Judah. One hundred and ten years ago, at this very conference, two of the elders of the Church, Elders Orson Hyde and John E. Page, were called to go to the land of Palestine and dedicate it for the return of the descendants of Judah.
Ten years before, the Prophet Joseph had predicted on the head of Orson Hyde that in due time he should go to Jerusalem, the land of his fathers, and be a watchman to that people. History tells us that Elder Hyde did go and dedicate the land in 1841, and in 1873 Elder George A. Smith went to that land and again dedicated it for the return of Judah.
In Elder Hyde’s prayer of dedication on the Mount of Olives, he prayed that the barrenness and sterility of the land would be removed, that springs of water would burst forth, that the land would become fruitful again, that the Lord would subdue their unbelief and “incline them to gather in upon this land.” He also prayed that God would inspire the kings of the earth to help bring about the promises made to Judah.
Other prophecies were made in connection with this event. Great Britain was referred to particularly as one of the nations which would play a very prominent part in helping to bring this about. And almost immediately following the visit of George A. Smith to this land, organizations began to come into existence, the purpose of which was to sponsor the return of the Jews to the land of Palestine.
Prophecy of Wilford Woodruff
At about this same time, President Wilford Woodruff uttered a very important prophecy, prayer, and testimony with reference to this people, in which he said,
. . . The Lord has decreed that the Jews should be gathered from all the Gentile nations where they have been driven, into their own land, in fulfilment of the words of Moses, their law-giver. And this is the will of your great Elohim, O house of Judah, and whenever you shall be called upon to perform this work, the God of Israel will help you. You have a great future and destiny before you and you cannot avoid fulfilling it; you are the royal, chosen seed, and the God of your father’s house has kept you distinct as a nation for eighteen hundred years, under all the oppression of the whole Gentile world. You may not wait until you believe on Jesus of Nazareth, but when you meet with Shiloh your king, you will know him; your destiny is marked out, you cannot avoid it. {Wilford Woodruff, Matthias F. Cowley, p. 509.)
Then he said further that the time would come when the armies of the Gentiles would be gathered against them, but he promised further that the time is not far distant when the rich men among the Jews would be called upon to use their abundant wealth to gather the dispersed of Judah and purchase the ancient dwelling places of their fathers in and about Jerusalem, and rebuild the holy city and temple. (Ibid.)
It is rather significant that up to 1948 more than seven hundred million dollars had been expended by American Jews alone in helping to bring about the fulfilment of this prophecy by President Wilford Woodruff. The part that Great Britain played in the liberating of Palestine from Turkish rule is a matter of history which occurred during World War I in a remarkable manner. Then Lord Balfour, secretary of foreign affairs for the British government, made a very significant statement of policy to the effect that his Majesty’s government would view “with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object.”
This statement of policy was later supported by the Congress of the United States and was endorsed by President Wilson and all of his successors that it is the policy of our own land to look with favor on the establishment of a national home for the descendants of Judah in Palestine.
Return of the Jews
So today, my brothers and sisters, in fulfilment of these ancient and modern prophecies, a great drama is being enacted in Palestine. The Jews are returning as one of the events of the last days. Resources are being built up through reclamation, rehabilitation, and modernization.
I read the other day of one authority who stated that there is more scientific “know-how” concentrated today in Palestine than in any similar area upon the face of the earth. I wonder if there isn’t purpose behind it. I noted, too, in the report of the Anglo-American Commission which was made of their study in 1946, that they commented that considerable numbers of the Jews are being converted to Christianity and that their attitude toward the Christ as the Redeemer of the world is rapidly changing. There has been much confusion over the Palestine question — much talk of division of the land, of quotas, import restrictions — but out of it all I cannot help feeling that we will see a complete fulfilment of the prophecies which have been made regarding this people. These prophecies are in rapid course of fulfilment before our very eyes today.
Persecution of Jews
While in Europe, traveling through the war-torn countries, I was deeply impressed with the fact that the Lord had used, as a means of prodding the Jews and bringing about a fulfilment of his purposes, legalized persecution under the great and terrible Nazi program. The Jews were persecuted and driven, I presume, like no other people under heaven.
I remember standing on the ruins of what was the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe, in the Jewish section of Warsaw, Poland, in August 1946. There we were given a description of what had transpired as being somewhat typical of that which had gone on in various parts of Europe through the establishment of the medieval ghetto.
Here 250,000 descendants of Judah had lived prior to the war. Under the Nazi rule, through forced labor, they were required to build a wall around the ghetto. Later some 150,000 Jews from other parts of Europe were brought into that area. Then finally the entire section was destroyed, wiped out by bombing after the people had been robbed and ravaged.
As we stood on the crumbled brick and mortar and the rubble some fifteen feet deep, with only the spire of one burned synagogue showing — no other building in that vast area — we were told by the guide that some two hundred thousand bodies, it was estimated, still remained under the rubble of those once great buildings in this section of Warsaw.
We visited some of the concentration camps and the crematoriums where it is estimated, six million of the sons and daughters of Judah lost their lives, reducing their world population from seventeen to eleven million.
Determination to Return
We were impressed almost to tears as we visited some of these wanderers, these persecuted and driven sons of our Heavenly Father, to find how doggedly they were determined to return to Palestine. Ofttimes, as they would come into relief agencies to get temporary help, we would ask them why they did not settle nearby. Sometimes they were invited to stay. But they had one desire, and that was to return to the land of their fathers.
I recall that a survey was made by UNRRA, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, in which they interviewed 3,629 Jews in displaced persons’ camps to determine what they would like to do if they were given their freedom to move and locate as they pleased. Of this number, 3,619 indicated that they would like to go back to Palestine. Nine of them expressed a desire to come to the United States, and one to Australia. This desire — which is almost a passion — was so great that it was as strong as life itself.
Of course, much of the movement then was done through the underground and by smuggling. I hold in my hand a short clipping, one of many we took from the papers in London. This one is entitled, “One Hundred Jew Ships Now.” It is taken from the London Evening News, November 5, 1946. It is an Associated Press dispatch and reads:
British Naval Intelligence Officers in Jerusalem revealed today that Jewish underground has bought at least one hundred ships, many paid for with U. S. funds, to carry refugees to Palestine from southern European ports.
Crews are promised £10 a head for each refugee smuggled into Palestine.— A.P.
Future Events
Yes, my brethren and sisters, this great drama goes on before our very eyes, in large measure unnoticed by the Christian world. One hardly ever hears reference to the prophecies regarding Judah’s return. Yet, the promises are clear that it would be one of the great events of the last days. And, of course, we know from modern revelations and prophecies that much more is yet to occur. Read the fourteenth chapter of Zechariah and the eleventh chapter of Revelations with reference to other great events that are yet to come, affecting directly this chosen people, the House of Judah. Eventually their city will be encompassed by Gentile armies. Yes, during their last great struggle, the Master will make his appearance as the Mount of Olives cleaves in twain for their protection.
Then, no doubt, will be realized the fulfilment of the glorious statement made by the Lord in The Doctrine and Covenants through the Prophet Joseph with reference to Judah, which I read in conclusion:
And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king. (D. & C. 45:51-53.)
God help us, my brothers and sisters, to realize the importance of these great and stirring events as signs that the second coming of the Master is approaching rapidly, and may they be the means of emphasizing to us the importance of putting our own houses in order, maintaining the faith, and doing all in our power to help further this glorious work of the latter day, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
A Message to Judah from Joseph
By President Ezra Taft Benson
Of the Council of the Twelve
An address to Mormons, Non-Mormons, and Jews at the Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, May 2, 1976
My brethren and sisters—I use that as an inclusive greeting to all assembled, for it is a part of my faith that we are all children of one Father. To our Jewish friends I say, “Shalom Haverim,” which is to say, “Good evening, brothers.” It is a privilege and honor to be with you tonight.
Cherished Associations with Jewish People
Among some of my most cherished experiences and recollections are the fond association I have enjoyed in past years with the Jewish people in the United States and the land of Israel. I have visited Israel three times. I have met hundreds of government officials, farmers, business and trade people, and leaders in professions. No visits have been more impressive than the visits with David Ben-Gurion, Levi Eshkol, and Moshe Dayan.
During a luncheon given in my honor, chaired by Mr. Eshkol in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, Mr. Ben-Gurion sent a handwritten note to me from the hospital, asking would I call on him if my time permitted. This I did. He was sitting in a rocker with one leg elevated as I walked into his hospital room. You may recall that some crank threw a bomb into Parliament and his ankle was injured. As we greeted each other, he said, “Would you mind if the press came in while we visit? They’ve been trying to see me, but I haven’t seen anyone except my wife and the nurse.” I told him I would have no objection. The press came in, and then he began talking to me and asking questions. He wanted to know what the attitude of the Mormons was toward the Jews. We had a most interesting conversation.
On my second visit to Palestine, I toured the entire country by small plane, helicopter, and automobile, and was shown every possible courtesy and consideration. I had a further meeting with Ben-Gurion and Levi Eshkol, and then met with General Moshe Dayan, the man who had led their forces against the Egyptians.
Dayan, former minister of agriculture, gave a buffet dinner in my honor, served on the patio and lawn at his home. As we walked around the lawn, he told of the campaign they had against the Egyptians. He said in substance, “I’m not what people would call a spiritual man, but no one will ever convince me that there wasn’t a higher power with us as we met the Egyptians down on the Sinai.” I could not help but be reminded of Zechariah’s great prophecy:
“Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place. . . .
“In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God.” (Zech. 12:6, 8.)
My next visit was while serving my church as a General Authority over Europe in 1964. We had two congregations at Beirut, Lebanon. I was visiting those branches and wrote in advance to Mr. Eshkol, who had become prime minister when Ben-Gurion had retired. I indicated that I would like to come to Jerusalem again, and if his time permitted I would be happy to call and pay my respects. He wrote back immediately urging me to come and sent me a handwritten note from Ben-Gurion, asking that I set aside one night that my wife and I might spend an evening with them.
We had two visits with these men at that time. We spent an evening with Ben-Gurion and his wife in their apartment in Tel Aviv. Most of the time was spent in the library, where there were books from the floor to the ceiling on three walls. During the evening he said, “I want you to pray to God that he’ll spare me for a few more years. I’m writing a history of the Jewish people, and it will take time to finish it.” As we were leaving at the door that evening, he said, “You know, there are no people in this world who understand the Jews like the Mormons.”
We Have Co-suffered with the Jews
Yes, there is a great affinity for the Jews by the Mormons. The Jews have endured great persecution and suffering. This we understand, for our people have also undergone severe persecution and extermination. Indeed, the man we revere as a modern prophet, Joseph Smith, was martyred for his testimony in 1844. In 1846 our people had to exodus from the United States because of the threat of annihilation. We settled in a desert region similar to the topography around the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. There we have developed our “land of promise.”
Yes, we can empathize with the suffering of the Jews, for we have co-suffered with them. But our affinity toward modern Judah is not prompted merely out of mutual suffering; it is prompted out of a knowledge of our peculiar relationships together—relationships which claim a common heritage. Jeremiah has prophesied that in the latter times “the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together.” (Jer. 3:18.) My prayer is that because of evenings spent together like this one, this prophecy will come to be fulfilled. We need to know more about the Jews, and the Jews ought to know more about the Mormons. When we understand one another, then perhaps you will understand why Ben-Gurion said, “There are no people in the world who understand the Jews like the Mormons.”
Kindred Doctrines of the Mormons and the Jews
Among the kindred doctrines of the Mormons and the Jews is our mutual belief in Jehovah, a God of revelation. We share a common belief in the Messiah who will come. We further hold reciprocal beliefs in prophets. We hold a common commitment to the return of the Jews to the “land of Jerusalem,” in fulfillment of the words of the ancient prophets. There are many other doctrinal and social similarities.
Foundation of the Church Known as “the Mormons”
The foundation of the Church, which is sometimes referred to by nonmembers as the “Mormon” Church, is a belief in revelation—modern revelation by God of his purposes and directions to living prophets.
We believe as Amos declared: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7.)
We declare that secrets long since hidden through the ages have been revealed again through a prophet by the revelation of “a new and everlasting covenant” to Israel. That prophet’s name was Joseph Smith. These are the words of his own testimony:
“On the evening [of] the 21st of September, A.D. 1823, while I was praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of Scripture, on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room, indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire; the appearance produced a shock that affected the whole body; in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which I was already surrounded. This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the joyful tidings that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled. … I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of His purposes in this glorious dispensation.” (History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4:536–37.)
The Mormons’ Interest in the Jews
From the very inception of this latter-day work, which claims to be a restoration of the covenants given by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this church has had a deep interest in the remnant of the house of Israel, the descendants of Judah.
In 1836, the Mormons completed their first temple at Kirtland, Ohio. In the dedicatory prayer which was offered on that occasion, Joseph Smith petitioned the “Lord God of Israel”:
“O Lord . . . thou knowest that thou hast a great love for the children of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains for a long time. . . .
“We therefore ask thee to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from this hour, may begin to be redeemed;
“And the yoke of bondage may begin to be broken off from the house of David;
“And the children of Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to Abraham, their father.” (D&C 109:60–64.)
This was said during the Passover season, March 27, 1836.
The Orson Hyde Expedition to Israel
Before Joseph Smith was killed, he dispatched a Jewish apostle by the name of Orson Hyde to dedicate the land of Palestine for the return of the Jews. This concern for a homeless people and the sending of this apostle was done at a time when the Mormons themselves were virtually homeless, having been dispossessed of their lands and possessions in Missouri.
Orson Hyde left on his assignment in the fall of 1840. He arrived in Palestine in October 1841. On October 24, 1841, he ascended the Mount of Olives all alone, built an altar to the Lord, and offered a dedicatory prayer. Here are some portions of that prayer:
“Thy servant . . . has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah’s scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets—for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name. . . .
“O Thou, Who didst covenant with Abraham, Thy friend, and Who didst renew that covenant with Isaac, and confirm the same with Jacob with an oath, that Thou wouldst not only give them this land for an everlasting inheritance, but that Thou wouldst also remember their seed forever. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have long since closed their eyes in death, and made the grave their mansion. Their children are scattered and dispersed abroad among the nations of the Gentiles like sheep that have no shepherd, and are still looking forward for the fulfillment of those promises which Thou didst make concerning them. . . .
“Let the land become abundantly fruitful when possessed by its rightful heirs; let it again flow with plenty to feed the returning prodigals. . . . Incline them to gather in upon this land according to Thy word. Let them come like clouds and like doves to their windows. [This was uttered before the airplane was invented.] Let the large ships of the nations bring them from the distant isles; and let kings become their nursing fathers, and queens with motherly fondness wipe the tear of sorrow from their eye. . . .
“Let them know that it is Thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom unto Israel—raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government, with David Thy servant, even a descendant from the loins of ancient David to be their king.” (HC, 4:456–57; italics added.)
This was said at a time when Jewish immigration was but a trickle. Today the gathering has been realized in part with over three million Jews back in the land of their fathers.
On at least two separate occasions, leaders of the nation of Israel have requested that I relate to them the story of Orson Hyde. The first occasion was at the luncheon to which I alluded previously. Mr. Eshkol asked me to tell the luncheon audience about Orson Hyde and his visit to Palestine. I replied, “Do you mean that?” He said that he did. So I related that account to them.
Another occasion was my last visit with David Ben-Gurion. He requested, “I would like you to send me all the information you have about Orson Hyde and his visit to Palestine in 1841. I would like to include it in my history.” We subsequently sent that information to him.
The Mormon Interest in the Jews Is Based on Kinship
Historically, we must recognize that this interest in the restoration of the Jews to their homeland is older than modern Zionism and the great work of Theodor Herzl and others. There were a number of Christian sects in the nineteenth century which held millennial views and saw the return of the Jews to their homeland as a “sign of the times” which would precede the second advent of Jesus Christ. The Mormon interest was and is more than this. Our concern and interest is a kinship to our Jewish brothers.
Our common heritage goes back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God reiterated to Jacob the same promises which were given to Abraham, and then gave Jacob the new name of Israel. His posterity—all those who descended through his twelve sons—were known by this designation. They were variously referred to as the “house of Israel,” “children of Israel,” or “tribes of Israel.” I emphasize that all of his posterity received the family name designation through the twelve sons. Today it has become common practice to identify only one of his twelve sons, Judah, with the family designation “Israelite” because they have maintained their separate identity.
Israel’s Blessing to Joseph
As you carefully read the forty-ninth chapter of Genesis, you will find that Jacob, or Israel, pronounced blessings on all his twelve sons. Each was given a peculiar and distinctive blessing. Time will only permit a consideration of the blessings to two of these sons, whose blessings were preeminent above the blessings of the others. I refer to the blessings pronounced on Judah and Joseph. May I read first the blessing pronounced on Joseph:
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
“The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
“But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
“Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
“The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” (Gen. 49:22–26.)
There are several points which we should note carefully about this blessing:
- 1. Joseph’s posterity would be numerous; that is, he would be a “fruitful bough.”
- 2. His posterity or “branches” would “run over the wall.”
- 3. His descendants would be sorely persecuted, which is the meaning of the phraseology “the archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him.”
- 4. The blessings on Joseph’s posterity were to prevail “above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.”
Later I shall comment on the interpretation of this blessing as it affects the relationships of the present-day Mormons and Jews; but first it will be instructive to review the history of the descendants of Israel after they came into the land promised to Abraham as “the land of Canaan . . . an everlasting possession.” (Gen. 17:8.)
The Scattering of Israel
For a time the confederated tribes were a united monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon, but ultimately they divided into two major kingdoms. The kingdom to the north—which comprised 10 1/2 tribes, including the descendants of Joseph—retained the designation Israel. The kingdom to the south—made up primarily of the tribe of Judah—adopted the name of Judah. (See 1 Kgs. 11:31–32; 1 Kgs. 12:19–24.)
Prophets were raised up among these two nations to call them to repentance because of their idolatry and wickedness. The prophet Amos predicted the results of this disobedience to God.
“Now shall they [Israel] go captive with the first that go captive.” (Amos 6:7.)
“I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.” (Amos 9:9.)
The northern kingdom, Israel, was subsequently taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 721 years B.C.E., or Before Common Era. The Old Testament contains no history of Israel, nor of Joseph’s descendants after this date. Are we to believe that God’s promises to Joseph were for naught, that the prophecy of his posterity being numerous, “running over the wall,” being sorely persecuted, and going to the “utmost bound of the everlasting hills” would not be fulfilled?
Separate Records to Be Kept
Because of the division which occurred between the two kingdoms, the Lord made special provision that separate records were kept. The prophet Ezekiel spoke of these records in these words:
“The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
“Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
“And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
“And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
“Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
“And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.” (Ezek. 37:15–20.)
From this commandment from God to the prophet Ezekiel, these provisions should be noted:
- That a stick or record was to be kept for Judah, and that a stick or record was to be kept for Joseph;
- That the two records were to be joined together into “one stick,” or record, in the hands of that prophet.
Where is the fulfillment of this important commandment? Who claims to have the record of Joseph today?
The Book of Mormon Fulfills Joseph’s Prophecy
The record of Joseph has been brought forth in this day to Joseph Smith by a messenger sent from God. That record is called The Book of Mormon, named after one of the seed of Joseph who abridged the records of his people. The record tells the account of a colony of Israelites, descended from Joseph, who left Jerusalem before its great destruction during the Babylonian siege under King Nebuchadnezzar. It tells how these descendants of Joseph came “over the wall”—a metaphoric expression which denoted a barrier to them. That barrier was the great ocean between the continents of Asia and the Americas. This record tells how they were guided by the hand of the Lord to the land of America, a land of promise to Joseph and his descendants, a land “of everlasting hills.” It tells how Joseph’s posterity became very numerous upon the land until they filled it with a mighty nation. All this was in fulfillment of Joseph’s blessing! The Book of Mormon further records the destruction of this mighty civilization because of their departure from the commandments of the God of Israel.
The records of these people lay buried in the earth for centuries. Then in 1827, a heavenly messenger turned them over to Joseph Smith. They were subsequently translated from their ancient reformed Egyptian writing into the English language and were published to the world in the year 1830.
The Judean prophet Ezekiel had declared that these records were to be “one in thine hand.” I witness before you the fulfillment of that prophecy—the record of Judah in one hand, the record of Joseph in the other—one in our hands today.
Judah’s Scattering and Persecution
But what about the prophecies that pertain to the house of Judah? The northern tribes of Israel were not the only ones to be dispersed according to prophecy. Judah, the southern kingdom, was also to be scattered:
“And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” (2 Kgs. 23:27; italics added.)
The history of the scattering of the nation Judah is so well known as to be regarded proverbial. Under the seizure of Babylon, the nation was taken into exile. A remnant returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple after the Persians came into power. Since that time, except for a short period of independence under the Maccabees, Judah has been under the yoke of foreign domination: the Macedonian Empire; the tripartite government rule by Egypt, Syria, and Macedonia; Syrian domination; then the Roman rule, and a final dispersion among all nations.
Time will not permit extensive comment about the depth of the suffering and their persecution among many nations. Some of the most evil of those deeds were perpetrated upon the remaining Jews in Palestine in the name of Christianity during the Crusades. Will Durrant has correctly written of this sad chapter of human suffering, “No other people has ever known so long an exile, or so hard a fate.”
I remember standing on the ruins of what was the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe in the Jewish section of Warsaw, Poland, in August 1946. There we were given a description of what had transpired as being somewhat typical of that which had gone on in various parts of Europe through the establishment of the medieval ghetto.
Here 250,000 descendants of Judah had lived prior to the war. Under the Nazi rule, through forced labor, Jews were required to build a wall around the ghetto. Later some 150,000 Jews from other parts of Europe were brought into that area. The Germans first tried to starve them out, but when that did not work, they transported over 310,000 Jews to the extermination camps. When Himmler found that there were still some 60,000 Jews alive in the ghetto, he ordered their “resettlement.” When they forcibly resisted, the German S. S. General Stroop ordered the tanks, artillery, flamethrowers, and dynamite squads on the ghetto. The extermination which was to have taken three days lasted four weeks. The final report by the general read, “Total number of Jews dealt with: 56,065, including both Jews caught and Jews whose extermination can be proved.” This report left 36,000 Jews unaccounted for which were no doubt claimed by the gas chambers. (William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publishers, 1965, p. 1272.)
As we stood on the crumbled brick and mortar and the rubble some fifteen feet deep, with only the spire of one burned synagogue showing—no other building in that vast area—we were told that thousands of bodies still remained under the rubble of those once great buildings in this section of Warsaw.
I have visited some of the concentration camps, the mass graves, and the crematoriums where, it is estimated, six million of the sons and daughters of Judah lost their lives, reducing their world population from seventeen to eleven million.
I have been impressed to tears as I visited some of these wanderers, those persecuted and driven sons of our Heavenly Father, my brethren of Judah. Yes, the prophecies regarding the dispersion and suffering of Judah have been fulfilled. But the gathering and reestablishment of the Jews was also clearly predicted.
Prophecies Concerning the Gathering of Israel and the Jews
This predicted gathering has three phases: the gathering of Israel to the land of Zion, the American hemisphere; the return of the Ten Tribes from the north countries; and the reestablishment of the Jews in Palestine which had been long ago predicted by the prophets in these words:
“It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people. . . .
“And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isa. 11:11–12; italics added.)
“For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, . . . and I will cause them [plural] to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” (Jer. 30:3; italics added.)
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.” (Jer. 31:31.)
And hear the words of Zechariah:
“I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them. . . .
“I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them.” (Zech. 10:6, 8.)
I have witnessed this spirit work upon the Jews. In 1946, I was impressed as we interviewed many to find how determined they were to return to Palestine. As they would come to the relief agencies and the displaced-person camps to get temporary help, we would ask them why they did not settle nearby, and often would invite them to stay. But most had but one desire—to return to the land of their fathers.
The Book of Mormon is no less explicit in its prophecy concerning Israel’s and Judah’s gathering from a long dispersion:
“And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.
“Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers.” (2 Ne. 10:8–9.)
I saw the fulfillment of this prophecy with my own eyes in war-torn Europe in 1946 when ships of Great Britain smuggled the Jews to Palestine in response to the powerful spirit of gathering.
The Mormon people understand this spirit.
Here is a further prophecy from the Book of Mormon regarding the scattering and the restoration of Judah:
“Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations.
“And after they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for the space of many generations. . . .
“And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.” (2 Ne. 25:15–17.)
Since 1948, the people of the world have witnessed a marvelous drama taking place before their eyes; and yet it is a miracle that has gone rather unnoticed and unappreciated. One of the greatest events in history is the literal gathering of the Jews to their homeland from “the four corners of the earth.” It is, as Isaiah prophesied, “a marvelous work and a wonder.” (See Isa. 29:14.)
In 1950, I said, “There has been much confusion over the Palestine question—much talk of division of the land, of quotas, import restrictions—but out of it all I cannot help feeling that we will see a complete fulfilment of the prophecies which have been made regarding this people. These prophecies are in rapid course of fulfilment before our very eyes today.” (Conference Reports, April 1950, p. 77.)
Since that time, the nation of Israel has fought three wars, regained Jerusalem and the western wall (Wailing Wall), and added the Golan Heights and much of the Sinai Peninsula to its territory.
The Blessing of Israel Pronounced on Judah
We previously considered the blessing that Jacob, or Israel, pronounced on Joseph. Let us now consider the blessing pronounced on Judah:
“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
“Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
“Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
“His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.” (Gen. 49:8–12.)
The great blessing to Judah is that it contemplated the coming of Shiloh who would gather his people to him. This prophecy concerning Shiloh has been subject to several rabbinic and Christian interpretations and the object of considerable controversy. The interpretation given this passage by the Mormon Church is one based on revelation to modern prophets, not on scholarly commentary. It was revealed to Joseph Smith that Shiloh is the Messiah. (See JST, Gen. 50:24.)
President Wilford Woodruff, the apostle who became the fourth President of the Church I represent, said this to the Jews in the year 1879:
“And this is the will of your great Elohim, O house of Judah, and whenever you shall be called upon to perform this work, the God of Israel will help you. You have a great future and destiny before you and you cannot avoid fulfilling it; you are the royal chosen seed, and the God of your father’s house has kept you distinct as a nation for eighteen hundred years, under all the oppression of the whole Gentile world. You may not wait until you believe on Jesus of Nazareth, but when you meet with Shiloh your king, you will know him; your destiny is marked out, you cannot avoid it. It is true that after you return and gather your nation home, and rebuild your City and Temple, that the Gentiles may gather together their armies to go against you to battle . . . ; but when this affliction comes, the living God, that led Moses through the wilderness, will deliver you, and your Shiloh will come and stand in your midst and will fight your battles; and you will know him, and the afflictions of the Jews will be at an end, while the destruction of the Gentiles will be so great that it will take the whole house of Israel who are gathered about Jerusalem, seven months to bury the dead of their enemies, and the weapons of war will last them seven years for fuel, so that they need not go to any forest for wood. These are tremendous sayings—who can bear them? Nevertheless they are true, and will be fulfilled, according to the sayings of Ezekiel, Zechariah, and other prophets. Though the heavens and the earth pass away, not one jot or tittle will fall unfulfilled.” (Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, Bookcraft, 1964, pp. 509–10; italics added.)
The Book of Mormon, which was also written to the Jew, testifies who the Shiloh is, “for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets.” (2 Ne. 25:18.)
“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come.” (Gen. 49:10.) We see the fulfillment of the Shiloh prophecy this way: Judah came to power when David was exalted to the throne. Even after the division of the northern and southern kingdoms, the kings of Judah sat on the throne. Following the Babylonian captivity, “lawgivers” were provided to the Jewish remnant who returned to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah are examples. Subsequently, the Sanhedrin was established, and it continued as the ruling body of the Jews until the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jews. From that time, the Jews had no lawgiver to whom they could turn. Shiloh had come. He was Jesus of Nazareth, who was later crucified as “King of the Jews.”
Christian history has emphasized the point that the Jews as a nation rejected their Messiah. Overlooked has been the fact that many Jews did believe him to be the Messiah. Among those Jews who did so were his twelve apostles and thousands of other Jews who were converted by their ministry. We declare that after his ministry in Palestine, the resurrected Messiah personally visited the house of Joseph in this land of America, taught them, blessed them, and renewed the everlasting covenant with them. His ministry to America is recorded in The Book of Mormon.
The Story of Joseph Revisited
You will recall the episode of Joseph and his brethren in the Old Testament, and how he was sold into Egypt. You will remember that, because of a famine in the land of Canaan, his brethren were compelled to go to Egypt to purchase corn from the granaries. Joseph had risen to the position of governor over the land, and was in charge of those granaries. One of the most touching scenes recorded in the Torah is when Joseph made himself known to his brethren: “I am Joseph your brother …” (Gen. 45:4.)
To you, our friends of modern Judah, we declare, “We are Joseph, your brothers.” We claim kinship with you as descendants from our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We belong to the same family. We, too, are the house of Israel.
There is yet another parallel to this story of Joseph.
The brethren of Joseph in times past came to him during a famine for physical sustenance. Today there is another famine in the land, “not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” (Amos 8:11.)
Has not the Lord God said through Isaiah, “Every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. …
“[I will] satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” (Isa. 55:1; Isa. 58:11.)
We are also cognizant of God’s charge to Judah through his prophet Jeremiah:
“For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jer. 2:13.)
Of far greater value than the physical sustenance that Joseph of old provided his brethren is the sustenance that modern Joseph has to offer modern Judah today. We offer freely bread to eat and water to drink. I repeat, our interest in Judah is one of kinship, for we are your brothers. We come with a message and say, “We have ‘living water’ from its true source and well, which, if a man will drink it, ‘shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.’” (D&C 63:23.)
In Jacob’s blessing to Judah, he declared: “Judah is . . . as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?” (Gen. 49:9; italics added.) We come as messengers bearing the legitimate authority to arouse Judah to her promises. We do not ask Judah to forsake her heritage. We are not asking her to leave father, mother, or family. We bring a message that Judah does not possess. That message constitutes “living water” from the Fountain of living water.
Our prophet, Joseph Smith, was given a commandment by the Lord to turn “the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews.” (D&C 98:17.) We are presently sending our messengers to every land and people whose ideology permits us entrance. We have been gathering Joseph’s descendants for 146 years. We hope you, who are of Judah, will not think it an intrusion for us to present our message to you. You are welcome to come to our meetings. We display no crosses. We collect no offerings. We honor your commitment to your unique heritage and your individuality. We approach you in a different way than any other Christian church because we represent the restored covenant to the entire house of Israel.
Yes, we understand the Jews, as David Ben-Gurion said. We understand them because we belong to the same house of Israel. We are your brothers—Joseph. We look forward to the day of fulfillment of God’s promise when “the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel.” (Jer. 3:18.)
A Blessing on Judah
As one who, by special assignment, has been given authority in the house of Israel today, I ask the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to bless my brethren of Judah and have mercy on them; that the land to which Judah has returned after a long night of dispersion shall be fruitful, prosperous, and become the envy to her neighbors; that the nation Israel shall be delivered from all her oppressors and enemies; that Judah will “draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isa. 12:3) and fulfill all those prophecies that God declared through his prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, even that prophecy through Zechariah that “the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again” (Zech. 2:12).
I witness to you, my brothers and sisters of all the house of Israel, that I know that the God of heaven presides over the destinies of all his children. I witness that He has set his hand a second time to recover His people from the four corners of the earth to the lands of their inheritance. I testify that He has restored His new covenant with Israel. I know The Book of Mormon is a truthful account of God’s dealings with the house of Joseph, that its testimony is true, and that it is the word of the Lord to the Gentiles, Jews, and all the house of Israel. I further witness that Joseph Smith was what he represented himself to be, a prophet of the living God and a messenger of the new covenant to Israel. I would urge all to give heed to the message given by God through him.
Perhaps now, our friends of Judah, you will appreciate the sincerity of our declaration to you, “Shalom Haverim.” I pray God’s blessings upon us all. In the name of Jesus Christ—the Messiah. Amen.