Teddy Kollek was born near Budapest in 1911 and came to Zionism at an early age.
As a young adult, he didn’t encounter much antisemitism, but as the Nazis rose to power in the 1930s, he could see what was happening and in 1934 made aliyah to then Palestine where he became one of the founders of Kibbutz Ein Gev, now a favorite holiday site, on the shores of Lake Kinneret.
The life of Teddy Kollek as Mayor of Jerusalem is well documented. But his earlier life in Palestine is not-so-well known.
Prior to the outbreak of WW2, he served abroad in many capacities representing Jewish interests in Europe.
On one occasion he met Adolf Eichmann in Germany and arranged for the transfer of 3,000 Jewish Youth to England.
From 1940 to 1947 he worked with the Jewish Agency, maintaining close contact with the Haganah, the Jewish underground movement, and was involved in the Beriha rescue operation, organized in 1944 for the movement of 250,000 survivors of the Holocaust in Displaced Persons’ camps in Germany, Australia and Italy to Palestine.
Their aim was to reach the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts, so they could be smuggled into Palestine.
From 1947 to 1948, Teddy Kollek served as a representative of the Haganah in Washington where he assisted in amassing essential ammunition and military armor for the fledgling State of Israel.
In 1952, he returned to Israel and worked in Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s office until 1964.
In 1965, Teddy Kollek was elected Mayor of Jerusalem, a post he held until 1993.
Teddy Kollek was the man who shepherded the transition of Jerusalem from a Mideast backwater with a glorious past to a world capital of culture and politics.
His achievements in rebuilding Jerusalem were quite remarkable and he was once called “the greatest builder of Jerusalem since Herod.”
He was the driving force behind building the Israel Museum, claiming every important capital city needed a national museum.
To expand cultural life in Jerusalem, he built the Jerusalem Theatre, then raised money to expand the city’s zoo.
One of his notable achievements when the Israeli forces unified the city in 1967 was to ensure that supplies for Arab children in East Jerusalem were delivered within hours of the takeover.
He also formed an Arab liaison office to address any concerns arising from the newly annexed part of the city and continually tried to bridge the gap between the Jewish and Arab residents.
At an age when most people are well into their retirement, until his death at 95, Teddy Kollek could be found working for his beloved city.
He had an enthusiastic and unwavering belief that Jerusalem could be a modern city full of culture and beauty.
“When the city was united I saw this as an historic occasion.
To take care of it and show better care than anyone else ever has is a full life purpose.
I think Jerusalem is the one essential element in Jewish history.
A body can live without an arm or a leg, not without the heart.
This is the heart and soul of it.”
