By Douglas V. Gibbs
My good friend Brady (War Hamster) received a graphic about the importance of America’s relationship with Israel, and in particular the founding of the United States. He asked me about it, and even stated we ought to post a video about it on his channel – of which I will be happy to do. I believe it is an important topic considering the rise of anti-Semitism we’ve been seeing both in America, and abroad.
The rise of anti-Semitism and historical revisionism are byproducts of the rise of collectivism in our society and culture. Socialism hates God because in a system like that being pushed by the radical Democrats, government must be the most important thing in your life. Communism is a system of atheism that considers religion an “opiate of the masses.”
The prosperity of America’s rising free market system relied on avoiding collectivist schemes, and placing God at the foundation of our American System. That critical chapter of America’s founding story has been marginalized and largely forgotten. We must focus on our heritage and what made America great – and a large part of that journey came from a profound influence of Godly principles, Christianity, and ancient Israel and Jewish thought going as far back as the American Revolution and the formation of the Republic. The Founders didn’t merely look to Western philosophers like Locke and Montesquieu for inspiration; they turned their eyes eastward to the Torah, seeing in ancient Israel the ultimate model of a free people bound not by force but by covenant. This connection wasn’t merely symbolic but fundamentally shaped how the Founders conceived of their new nation – as a covenantal community dedicated to liberty under God.
As John Adams so eloquently expressed: “May the Deity…who delivered the Hebrews from their Egyptian oppressors [and] planted them in the promised land – whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States….” This perspective, shared by many Founders, reveals how deeply they identified with the Jewish story of liberation and covenantal nationhood. In the words of Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, a leading scholar on this topic, “The Hebrew Bible lies at the center of the American imagination, and it is one of the central inspirations for the founders.”
The Founders’ fascination with ancient Israel wasn’t accidental or superficial. They saw in the Israelite tribal structure a model for their own federal system. Twelve distinct tribes maintaining their unique identities while voluntarily uniting under a common covenant and shared sacred law. This covenantal worldview stood in stark contrast to the Greco-Roman tradition of political absolutism and provided the philosophical foundation for American federalism.
Benjamin Franklin’s original design for the Great Seal of the United States powerfully illustrates this connection. His first proposal depicted Moses crossing the Red Sea, with Pharaoh’s army drowning in the waters, accompanied by the motto “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.” As Rabbi Soloveichik notes, “when Franklin is asked, ‘what stories should emphasize or embody what we are trying to do here?’ The first place his mind goes is Exodus.” This imagery directly paralleled America’s struggle against British tyranny with the Israelites’ escape from Egyptian oppression.
The structural parallels between the American system and ancient Israel extend beyond mere symbolism. Just as Israel’s twelve tribes maintained their distinct identities while forming one nation under God, the American states preserved their sovereignty while joining in federal union. This covenantal model of governance, where distinct entities voluntarily unite under shared principles and sacred obligations, was revolutionary in the eighteenth century and remains distinctive today.
During the Revolutionary period, approximately 2,500-5,000 Jews lived in America, and historical records indicate they overwhelmingly supported independence. Their contributions went far beyond philosophical agreement, encompassing crucial financial support, military service, and diplomatic advocacy.
The most remarkable of these contributors was Haym Salomon, a Polish-Jewish immigrant who became one of the most important financiers of the Revolutionary War. When General Washington desperately needed funds to prevent his army from mutinying, with Robert Morris reporting there was “no money to be had, Washington specifically demanded, “Send for Haym Salomon.” Salomon answered the call, raising $20,000 through the sale of bills of exchange.
To this day, Haym Salomon remains one of the most forgotten members of the founding generation. Yet the Revolution may have failed without the financial support and mind of this Polish-born Jew. His contributions were so substantial that some have called him “the Financial Hero of the Revolution” who “was responsible for raising most of the money needed to finance the American Revolution and later to save the new nation from collapse.”
Salomon’s support for the American cause came at great personal risk. In 1776, he was arrested by the British and accused of being an American spy. After eighteen months of incarceration, where he served as a translator for German mercenaries, he was pardoned. While imprisoned, he worked to convince Hessians to adopt the American cause and encouraged British soldiers to desert.
Beyond financial support, Salomon also advocated for religious liberty. He helped lead the fight to have the Pennsylvania Council of Censors remove a religious test oath required for holding public office, thereby paving the way for non-Christians to serve in government.
The influence of Hebrew covenantal thinking is evident throughout America’s founding documents. The concept of a nation formed by mutual agreement under God with defined obligations has uniquely Hebrew origins and informed colonial charters and later constitutional reasoning.
George Washington’s correspondence with Jewish communities further demonstrates this connection. In a letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island in 1790, Washington wrote: “May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.” This language echoes the prophet Micah’s vision of peace and security in the Hebrew Bible.
Rabbi Soloveichik emphasizes that both Israel and America are “incepted nations” that came into being through written covenants. He states: “Like the Jewish people, whose covenant and whose history we know to exist because of a piece of writing, the United States could not have existed without pieces of writing.” This documentary approach to nationhood, where a written constitution serves as the sacred covenant binding the people together, represents a direct inheritance from the Israelite tradition.
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik stands as one of today’s foremost scholars exploring the Hebraic roots of American founding principles. As the rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, and director of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University, he brings both scholarly rigor and religious insight to this topic.
Rabbi Soloveichik comes from a distinguished rabbinic lineage. He is the son of Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik, grandson of the late Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik, and a great nephew of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, who was one of the most influential leaders of American Jewry and a founder of Modern Orthodoxy. His educational background includes graduating summa cum laude from Yeshiva College, receiving rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and studying philosophy of religion at Yale University Divinity School.
In his extensive work on this topic, particularly in his course “Jewish Ideas and the American Founders,” Rabbi Soloveichik documents how the Founders weren’t just inspired by Jewish scriptures but were also guided by powerful Jewish men and women. He highlights Jonas Philips, whom he refers to as “the most important American Jew you’ve never heard of,” as one of the first American Jewish success stories.
Rabbi Soloveichik has co-edited a collection of documents that explores how the United States was conceived as a promised land, reliant upon Hebrew sources to justify its claim. In his commentary, he reveals how the Hebrew Bible contributed to “the American moral language of liberty,” transforming “the Israelites’ story” into “the American story.”
In an age of rising anti-Semitism in some political circles, highlighting this Jewish connection to the American founding is more critical than ever. It demonstrates that Jewish contributions to America are not recent developments but integral to the nation’s origin story. The Founders’ respect for Jewish traditions and their recognition of ancient Israel as a model for republican government provides a powerful counter-narrative to contemporary anti-Semitism.
America’s Jews, unlike some other religious groups, supported ratification of the Constitution by large margins. After Washington’s inauguration, the divided Jewish communities sent him three separate letters, demonstrating their early engagement with the new political system and their commitment to its success.
The covenantal vision that inspired both ancient Israel and the American Republic offers a timeless model for how diverse peoples can unite under shared principles while preserving their unique identities. In an era increasingly divided by identity politics, this vision reminds us that America was conceived as one people under God, not a collection of competing factions seeking advantage at others’ expense.
As we confront the challenges of the twenty-first century, rediscovering this covenantal foundation offers a way forward, a return to the principles that made America exceptional in the first place: a nation bound not by force or ethnicity but by shared values, sacred obligations, and a common destiny under divine providence.
The story of America’s Hebraic roots is not merely an academic curiosity but a living legacy that continues to shape our national identity. By recovering this forgotten dimension of our founding, we honor both the Jewish contributors to American liberty and the visionary Founders who looked to ancient Israel as their model for a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal.
This historical connection between America and ancient Israel is not merely a matter of academic interest. It represents a profound spiritual truth with direct implications for our nation’s future. As Christians, we firmly believe that a large part of the reason America has prospered in the way it has is that we have honored Jews, been their friend, and served as a staunch ally of Israel once it became a nation again.
This perspective, shared by influential Christian leaders like Jack Hibbs and Constitutionalist David Barton, is rooted in Scripture, particularly God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This divine covenant was not merely a personal promise to Abraham but a continuing principle that extends to his descendants and to all nations who interact with them.
The Founders’ profound respect for the Hebrew people and their scriptures was not accidental but providential. They saw in ancient Israel the model for a free people bound by covenant to God and each other. They recognized that America’s destiny was tied to how it treated the Jewish people and honored the God of Israel. This understanding shaped their approach to religious liberty, which distinguished America from other nations where religious minorities often faced persecution.
The evidence of God’s blessing on America for its support of the Jewish people is undeniable. From our founding to the present, America has been uniquely blessed among nations; prosperous, powerful, and a beacon of liberty to the world. This blessing cannot be explained by mere natural factors or human wisdom alone. It reflects the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless those who bless the descendants of Abraham.
Haym Salomon’s crucial role in financing the Revolution represents more than just historical trivia. It symbolizes the divine partnership between America and the Jewish people. When Washington desperately needed funds to save his army from mutiny, God provided through a Jewish financier who believed in the American cause. This pattern of divine provision through Jewish partnership has repeated throughout American history.
The modern state of Israel’s rebirth in 1948 and America’s role as its staunchest ally represents the continuation of this covenantal relationship. America’s support for Israel, often standing alone when other nations abandoned her, has positioned us to receive God’s continued blessing. As Jack Hibbs often emphasizes, America’s prosperity is directly tied to its treatment of Israel and the Jewish people.
David Barton has extensively documented how America’s founders understood this connection. They saw America as a new Israel, a nation chosen by God for a special purpose in human history. This understanding informed their vision for America as a city upon a hill, a light to the nations, and a haven for those seeking religious liberty.
In an age of rising anti-Semitism and growing hostility toward Israel, this biblical principle becomes more critical than ever. Nations that turn against Israel and the Jewish people place themselves in opposition to God’s covenant purposes. History demonstrates that such nations inevitably decline, while those that bless Israel experience God’s favor.
As Christians, we have a special responsibility to honor the Jewish people and support the nation of Israel. This is not merely a political preference but a biblical mandate. We recognize that Christianity emerged from Judaism, that our Savior was Jewish, and that the Hebrew Scriptures form the foundation of our faith. We stand with the Jewish people not out of political expediency but out of biblical conviction and gratitude.
The connection between America’s founding principles and ancient Israel represents more than historical parallelism. It reveals God’s sovereign hand in human history. The same God who delivered Israel from Egyptian oppression and established them in the promised land also guided the American founders in establishing a Union of States dedicated to liberty under God. This connection is not coincidental but providential.
As we face the challenges of the twenty-first century, this biblical principle offers both warning and hope. The warning is that America’s prosperity and security depend on our continued faithfulness to bless Israel and honor the Jewish people. The hope is that if we remain faithful to this principle, God will continue to bless our county as He has throughout our history.
The story of America’s Hebraic roots ultimately points to a greater truth: that history is His story, that God is sovereign over the affairs of nations, and that those who align themselves with His covenant purposes experience His blessing. America’s founders understood this truth, and our nation’s prosperity reflects it.
In the words of Rabbi Soloveichik, the Hebrew Bible truly “lies at the center of the American imagination,” and recognizing this fact helps us understand not just where America came from, but where it might yet go. The covenant that bound ancient Israel together continues to offer guidance for a nation still striving to fulfill its founding promise of liberty and justice for all.
By embracing the truth of America’s specifically Hebrew foundations, we not only honor our history more accurately but also position ourselves to receive God’s continued blessing. As long as America continues to bless Israel and honor the Jewish people, we can trust that God will continue to bless America – just as He promised to Abraham so long ago.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
