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Jewish and Mormon Leaders Commemorate Early Zionism, Shared Values
(JNS.org) Judy Lash Balint - Exactly 175 years ago, Orson Hyde, an Elder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, climbed the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and proclaimed the Holy Land as the gathering place for the Jewish people. Last week, that act was commemorated at Brigham Young University's Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies by a joint delegation of prominent American Jewish and Mormon leaders. Members of both groups praised Elder Hyde's 1841 initiative as a forerunner of Zionist activity that brought about the founding of the State of Israel. Speaking at the event, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said, "We pray for the preservation of the Jewish people and for their peaceful association with all who dwell in what is truly the Holy Land." Former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman noted that "Mormon support for Israel is based on religious doctrine that declares the Jewish people must return to the land, and is not a matter of the politics of the moment."