| THE LIE It is nonsense to suggest that America owes its existence to the nation of Israel. |
| THE TRUTH America’s settlers and founders modeled America after the people of Israel, their scriptures, their ethics, and the land where it all began. |
| BACKGROUND On June 16, 2026, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee made a striking claim before a crowd: “Without Israel, without the Jewish foundation, there would not be an America. We owe our very existence to what happened in this land.” (Arutz Sheva) The remark came shortly after President Trump said that without him, Israel wouldn’t exist. (Jerusalem Post) Huckabee’s counter-statement quickly ignited a firestorm online. Critics called it “nonsense,” pointing out that America is older than the modern state of Israel, so it can’t possibly owe its existence to it. |
| TRUTH EXPLAINED Huckabee was referring to the nation of Israel, not the modern State of Israel. His argument was not that America owes its existence to a country founded in 1948, but to the Jewish people, the Torah, and the ideas that originated in ancient Israel. That is why he clearly indicated the “Jewish foundation” and “this land,” meaning the land of Israel. (A7) America’s earliest settlers modeled themselves on the nation of Israel. Pilgrims and Puritans saw their journey to America as a new Exodus, studied Hebrew, named towns after biblical locations such as Salem and Bethlehem, and embraced the biblical idea of a covenant community governed by mutual consent. (Armstrong), (American Heritage) Biblical law helped shape early American government. Colonial legal codes drew heavily from the Torah, while the biblical principle that rulers are subject to a higher moral law helped lay the groundwork for limited government and the rule of law. (Armstrong) America’s Christian roots are inseparable from its Jewish foundations in Jesus. Born and raised in first-century Israel, Jesus was a Jew who taught the Torah and observed Jewish traditions. The Christianity that shaped America was built on that foundation.A Jewish patriot helped finance the American Revolution. The Jewish people did not only serve as a model for America. Several Jews, such as Jewish merchant and financier Haym Salomon, provided crucial support to the revolutionary cause. (American Battlefield Trust) Biblical Israel is reflected in America’s national symbols. The Liberty Bell bears the inscription “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land” from Leviticus 25:10, and several Founders proposed a national seal depicting the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. A marble portrait of Moses hangs in the U.S. House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol, and several state capitols display monuments of the Ten Commandments. (Aish), (Christian Publishers), (Grokipedia) Many core American ideals have biblical roots. Concepts such as human dignity, equality before the law, justice for the vulnerable, natural rights, and the accountability of government developed within a culture deeply influenced by the Torah. (Aish), (Christian Publishers), (Grokipedia) Leading Founders openly admired ancient Israel. Some viewed the Hebrew republic as a model for self-government, and John Adams wrote that “the Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation.” (John Adams) |
| QUOTES “No nation, since the world was peopled, has been remarkable in so many and important respects, as the posterity of Abraham. It has been often remarked that the people of the United States come nearer to a parallel with Ancient Israel than any other national upon the globe. Hence, ‘our American Israel’ is a term frequently used; and common consent allows it apt and proper.” — Ariel Abbot, Pastor of the First Church in Haverhill, MA, 1799 “May the same wonder-working Deity; who long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian Oppressors planted them in the promised land- whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent nation – still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven.” — George Washington “[The Jews] are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth. The Romans and their Empire were but a Bauble in comparison of the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the Globe and have influenced the affairs of Mankind more, and more happily, than any other Nation ancient or modern.” — John Adams |
| TAKEAWAY Dismissing Mike Huckabee’s statement as nonsense requires ignoring a vast body of historical evidence. The America that declared independence, wrote its Constitution, and defined liberty for the modern world did not emerge from a vacuum. It was built by people who read the Torah as a living document, modeled their laws on Mosaic code, named their towns after Israelite cities, and understood their entire national project as a continuation of a story that began in the ancient land of Israel. The Jewish contribution to American civilization was foundational. |
