Sid Roth welcomes John McTernan

SID: Hello, Sid Roth here with John McTernan. What is the best, I mean the best kept secret in American history, that is the key to our prosperity? John McTernan, what is it?

JOHN: It’s our blessing of the Jewish people, Sid, throughout the history of America.

SID: You really see a tie-in. Let’s go back to George Washington.

JOHN: Sid, from the very beginning, America is unique in world history. I almost have to touch upon world history, and then bring in American history regarding the Jewish people. In Europe and in the Muslim countries, the Jews would be driven from one country to another, they’d be forced into ghettos, they’d be limited in what they could do, their property would be stolen. And Sid, in the history of America, that’s never occurred. Isn’t that amazing, Sid? Going back even before we were a nation…

SID: But it really does show the uniqueness of America.

JOHN: Unique, Sid. And I’ll start with the American Revolution, because of time constraints we have here. But the Jewish population during the America Revolution was approximately 3000, maybe a little bit more. And the Jewish people, to a man, supported the American Revolution. All of them. And they gave everything they had, Sid. Most of them were merchants at that time, and they owned ships. They gave them all to the Continental Congress. Many of these ships that transported soldiers and goods were Jewish ships. They outfitted the Continental Army. Isn’t that amazing?

SID: I’ve read there was one very wealthy Jewish man that, without him, it’s questionable whether there’d be a United States of America.

JOHN: That’s Hyam Salomon, and he was very instrumental from 1781 until we were granted our independence in 1783. His credit kept America going. He was a Polish Jewish man that came over here. When you read about his history in the American Revolution, it brings tears to your eyes. He stayed behind the lines, and he worked amongst the Prussian mercenaries to get them to join the American Army, because he was fluent in German. So he would work – isn’t that amazing? – he would work amongst the Germans to join the American Army. He was captured as a spy. He was let go the first time. He was captured the second time. He developed tuberculosis in prison, they were going to execute him. He was able to escape. He went to Philadelphia, from New York, and because he knew 7 languages, he knew international finance, and he was honest, he became an incredibly prosperous broker. A ship from France would come in
and he would be able to speak French and be able to negotiate the different currencies.

SID: Single-handedly, he financed the American Revolution, we could almost say. But I read things about George Washington that were amazing.

JOHN: Yes Sid. In my book, I document letters that George Washington wrote to the several Jewish congregations in the United States, and two of them in particular are astonishing. When he wrote to the Jewish people in Providence, Rhode Island, he said that he wanted America to be like the Messianic reign. He didn’t say it quite that way, I’m paraphrasing it. But he quoted Micah 4:4 in his letter to the Jewish people, saying that every man will sit under their fig tree and every man will sit under their vine, and no one will be afraid.

SID: He saw the connection between Jewish people and America, and the Messianic kingdom.

JOHN: That’s right. He wanted America to be such a blessing to the Jewish people that it would be something like the Messianic reign. And then he said the same God that delivered the Jewish people from Egypt is the same God that created the United States of America. He made a direct link between the Jewish God and the God of America.

SID: Let’s fast forward. Abraham Lincoln – what was his view on the Jew?

JOHN: Sid, it’s amazing. There’s so much, I’m going to have to clear it up here.

SID: Go get you book, go on.

JOHN: Most countries initiate laws against the Jewish people, where they can’t worship freely, for example, they can’t travel, they can’t own businesses. Probably one of the few times in history, America initiated a law for the Jewish people. A Jewish man went to President Lincoln and said “Mr. President, there are no Jewish chaplains allowed in the American military.” And Abraham Lincoln realized that it was true, and he went to Congress, and he petitioned Congress that they would specifically pass a law to allow Jewish chaplains in the Northern Army. It’s always the opposite in every other country, but in America, we made a law favoring the Jewish people. And then, unfortunately, in the heat of battle, General Ulysses S. Grant made a major mistake. There were unscrupulous traders in the North that were trading with the South, and they were enabling the South to continue the war through this trading. And a few of them were Jewish. And General Grant initiated what’s called in history as general orders 11, literally deporting the Jewish people from Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and those areas that were in control of the Northern Army. A Jewish man went to a Congressman and told him what had happened, who immediately went to the President and explained what General Grant was doing. Immediately, President Lincoln had General Grant rescind these orders and said “We are not going after a class of people.” He would not allow the Jewish people to be stigmatized.

SID: Now, why do you feel that we were blessed as a nation because we’ve been the only country that has offered such freedom to Jews?

JOHN: Well Sid, it’s crystal clear, and this is the lens that I look at history through. God said “I will bless them”, speaking of Abraham and his descendants, “I will bless them that bless you, and I will curse them that curse you.” And I’m not saying America has been a perfect nation, and I’m not saying that the Jews didn’t receive prejudice here, but they were accepted like everybody else. Like my descendants are Irish, and there’s prejudice…

SID: Listen, you have things in your book that are so phenomenal. Like for instance, did you know there’s a direct connection to 9/11 and going against Israel? We’ll be right back after this word. Don’t go away.

We’ll be right back to It’s Supernatural.