Question 1 The Liberty Bell is inscribed with the following Bible verse:
In seeking independence from Great Britain, the founders of the United States were profoundly influenced by the story of the Hebrews’ release from bondage in biblical times. One of the ways this is reflected is in their choice of this verse from Leviticus for inscription on the Liberty Bell.
“And Proclaim Freedom Throughout The Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof” (Leviticus 25:10)
“He Hath Sent Me to Bind Up the Brokenhearted, to Proclaim Liberty to the Captives” (Isaiah 61:1)
“For, Brethren, Ye Have Been Called Unto Liberty” (Galatians 5:13)
“And Ye Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth Shall Make You Free” (John 8:32)
Question 2 The English declaration in 1917 expressing support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” that also drew strong support in the U.S. congress was known as:
In 1917, Lord Balfour, who was then British Foreign secretary, wrote a letter to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, urging British support for a Jewish state. The letter became known as the Balfour Declaration and was unanimously endorsed by U.S. congressional resolutions.
The Rothschild Declaration
In Defense of Zionism
The Balfour Declaration
Question 3 The President who made the United States the first nation to recognize the newly-formed state of Israel was:
On May 14, 1948, President Harry Truman issued a statement that “The United States recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the State of Israel” – 11 minutes after the modern state of Israel came into being.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Question 4 What American civil rights leader is quoted as once saying, “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking anti-Semitism.”
Dr. King was a staunch supporter of the modern state of Israel, which was founded during his lifetime. At a 1968 national rabbinical convention he said, “I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Question 5 In 1975, then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Daniel Patrick Moynihan took the podium at the U.N to deliver a scathing speech condemning the world governing body for passing an anti-Israel resolution declaring that:
Though it took the United Nations 16 years to repeal the infamous “Zionism is Racism” resolution, Moynihan’s speech Though it took the United Nations 16 years to repeal the infamous “Zionism is Racism” resolution, Moynihan’s speech on November 10, 1975, stands as a model of eloquent defense of the Jewish state and condemnation of anti-Semitism. In his own words: “In all our postwar history there had not been another issue which has brought forth such unanimity of American opinion.”
Israel must withdraw from the West Bank in order for there to be peace
Zionism is racism
The Temple Mount is a Muslim, not a Jewish holy site
Jerusalem should be divided between Israeli and Palestinian control
Question 6 What presidential hopeful said, “"Israel was not created in order to disappear—Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom."
John F. Kennedy, then a senator from Massachusetts, made these remarks at the Zionists of America Convention during his presidential campaign in 1960.
Lyndon B. Johnson
John F. Kennedy
Question 7 In 2015, during a speech to U.S. Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned an image on the walls of Congress and a Bible verse that has “steeled [the people of Israel’s] resolve for thousands of years.” Which Bible verse was he referring to?
The image Prime Minister Netanyahu was referring to was a marble relief of Moses that has hung in the House since 1950, two years after the state of Israel was founded. Concluding his speech, the Prime Minister told Congress, “My friends, may Israel and America always stand together, strong and resolute. May we neither fear nor dread the challenges ahead. May we face the future with confidence, strength and hope.”
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5)
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8)
Question 8 While the U.S. and Israel both are democracies, one key difference between the two governments is:
Israel’s government is a parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister is the head of the government, while the President’s position is largely ceremonial.
Israel’s president serves for ten years, while U.S. presidents serve four-year terms
Israel’s head of government is not elected, but appointed
Israel does not have a Supreme Court
Israel has a parliamentary system of government, while the U.S. has a presidential system
Question 9 The first U.S. President to visit Israel was:
According to Middle East analyst Aaron David Miller, “Nixon’s trip was a largely a farewell tour, a last hurrah following his administration’s deep involvement in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and the diplomacy that followed.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Question 10 During the early 1800s, the state with the highest Jewish population in the United States was:
Jews had begun settling in what would later become South Carolina well before the United States declared its independence. In 1774, Francis Salvador, a Jewish businessman, became the first Jew to be elected to public office in the American colonies when he was chosen for South Carolina’s Provincial Congress.