--- title: Here's the Sculpture of Moses in Congress that Netanyahu Referenced description: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced a sculpture of Moses in Congress during his speech. canonical: https://time.com/3730272/benjamin-netanyahu-moses-sculpture/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-03T17:29:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:46.935Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's the Sculpture of Moses That Netanyahu Referenced og:description: It's roughly the same age as the modern state of Israel. og:url: https://time.com/3730272/benjamin-netanyahu-moses-sculpture/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8bd74dcb27bcfc4a/698781e25f570f37dcb158dc/moses-relief.jpg?branch=production&width=1120&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1120 og:image:height: 630 og:image:alt: moses-relief og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's the Sculpture of Moses That Netanyahu Referenced twitter:description: It's roughly the same age as the modern state of Israel. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8bd74dcb27bcfc4a/698781e25f570f37dcb158dc/moses-relief.jpg?branch=production&width=1120&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's the Sculpture of Moses That Netanyahu Referenced > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0d873b13-4803-4543-ac62-fda1ce17b39b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Real Time: Netanyahu Speaks to Congress [Watch (HLS stream): Real Time: Netanyahu Speaks to Congress](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6QkUJFlN.m3u8) (1:33)  _Published 2015-03-03. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin_ by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Mar 3, 2015 5:29 PM UTC  Architect of the Capitol by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Mar 3, 2015 5:29 PM UTC Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dropped a lot of names during his speech to Congress: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Secretary of State John Kerry, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, even poet Robert Frost. But for the close he went for an obvious pick: Moses. “Facing me right up there in the gallery, overlooking all of us … is the image of Moses,” he said. “Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised Land.” He then quoted [Deuteronomy 31:6](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+31%3A6&version=KJV), Moses’ parting words to the Israelites, in Hebrew: “Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them.” Netanyahu was referencing a marble relief that has hung in the House chamber since 1950, just two years after the modern state of Israel was founded. The bas relief was sculpted of white Vermont marble by artist Jean de Marco, according to [the Architect of the Capitol](http://1.usa.gov/1zEQ1yq). It’s part of a [series of 23 portraits](http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/relief-portrait-plaques-lawgivers/about-relief-portrait-plaques-lawgivers) chosen to represent historical figures who established the legal principles underlying the American system of government. Moses is in the center, facing forward, with 11 portraits on either side facing right and left toward him. Other portraits include Hammurabi, Pope Gregory IX and Thomas Jefferson. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] I deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political. That was never my intention. I want to thank you Democrats and Republicans for your common support for Israel year after year, decade after decade. [ APPLAUSE ] The remarkable alliance between Israel and the United States has always been above politics. It must always remain above politics. Israel is grateful for the support of America's people and of America's presidents from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini spews the oldest hatred of antisemitism with the newest technology. We must all stand together to stop Iran's march of conquest, subjugation and terror. [ APPLAUSE ] The battle between Iran and Isis [ MUSIC ] ISIS doesn't turn Iran into a friend of America. We've been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well, this is a bad deal. The days when the Jewish people remain passive. In the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over. 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