Teddy Kollek: Difference between revisions
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==Early years== |
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==Immigration to Israel== |
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| ⚫ | In 1935, three years before the [[Nazism|Nazis]] [[Anschluss|seized power]] in [[Austria]], the Kollek family immigrated to Eretz Israel, then under [[British Mandate of Palestine|British mandate]]. |
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Teddy Kollek was born in Nagyvázsony, 120 km from [[Budapest]], [[Austria-Hungary]]. His parents named after [[Theodor Herzl]]. Growing up in [[Vienna]], Kollek came to share his father Alfréd’s [[Zionism|Zionist]] convictions. |
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| ⚫ | In 1935, three years before the [[Nazism|Nazis]] [[Anschluss|seized power]] in [[Austria]], the Kollek family immigrated to Eretz Israel, then under [[British Mandate of Palestine|British mandate]]. In 1937, he was one of the founders of [[Kibbutz]] [[Ein Gev]], near [[Lake Galilee]].<ref name="washpostobit">{{cite news | last = Wilson | first = Scott | title = Longtime Mayor of Jerusalem Dies at 95 | pages = 2 | publisher = [[The Washington Post]] | date = [[2 January]] [[2007]] | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/02/AR2007010200139.html | accessdate = 2007-01-02}}</ref> That same year he married Tamar Schwarz. They had two children, a son, [[Amos Kollek|Amos]], (born in 1947), and a daughter, Osnat. |
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In the 1940s, Kollek was an informant for the [[British Mandate of Palestine|British Mandate]] against right-wing Jewish underground groups ([[Irgun]] and [[Stern Gang]]) and was instrumental in the capture of arms and several top men from these organizations.<ref>{{cite news | last = Bergman | first = Ronen | title = Kollek was British informer | pages = 1 | publisher = [[Ynetnews]] | date = [[29 March]] [[2007]] | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3382779,00.html | accessdate = 2007-03-30}}</ref> |
In the 1940s, Kollek was an informant for the [[British Mandate of Palestine|British Mandate]] against right-wing Jewish underground groups ([[Irgun]] and [[Stern Gang]]) and was instrumental in the capture of arms and several top men from these organizations.<ref>{{cite news | last = Bergman | first = Ronen | title = Kollek was British informer | pages = 1 | publisher = [[Ynetnews]] | date = [[29 March]] [[2007]] | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3382779,00.html | accessdate = 2007-03-30}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 10:46, 3 September 2007
Theodor "Teddy" Kollek (Hebrew: טדי קולק) (May 27, 1911 – January 2 2007) was mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, as well as founder of the Jerusalem Foundation.
Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983 and 1989. After reluctantly running for a seventh term in 1993 at the age of 82, he lost to Likud candidate Ehud Olmert (now the Israeli prime minister). During his tenure Jerusalem developed into a modern city, especially after its reunification in 1967[1]. He was once called “the greatest builder of Jerusalem since Herod.”[2]
Early years
Teddy Kollek was born in Nagyvázsony, 120 km from Budapest, Austria-Hungary. His parents named after Theodor Herzl. Growing up in Vienna, Kollek came to share his father Alfréd’s Zionist convictions.
In 1935, three years before the Nazis seized power in Austria, the Kollek family immigrated to Eretz Israel, then under British mandate. In 1937, he was one of the founders of Kibbutz Ein Gev, near Lake Galilee.[1] That same year he married Tamar Schwarz. They had two children, a son, Amos, (born in 1947), and a daughter, Osnat.
In the 1940s, Kollek was an informant for the British Mandate against right-wing Jewish underground groups (Irgun and Stern Gang) and was instrumental in the capture of arms and several top men from these organizations.[3]
During World War II, Kollek tried to represent Jewish interests in Europe on behalf of the Jewish Agency. At the outbreak of the war he succeeded in persuading Adolf Eichmann (then a minor Nazi official) to release 3,000 young Jewish concentration camp inmates and transfer them to England. In 1947—48, he represented the Haganah in Washington, where he assisted in acquiring ammunition for Israel’s then-fledgling army. Kollek became a close ally of David Ben-Gurion, working in the latter’s government from 1952 until 1965.[4]
Mayor of Jerusalem
In 1965 Teddy Kollek succeeded Mordechai Ish-Shalom as Mayor of Jerusalem. On his motivations for seeking the mayor’s office in Jerusalem, Kollek once recalled:[5]
- I got into this by accident[…] I was bored. 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.
During his tenure Jerusalem developed into a modern city, especially after its reunification in 1967[1] He was often called “the greatest builder of Jerusalem since Herod.”[6]
Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, and 1989, serving 28 years as mayor of Jerusalem.[7] In a reluctant seventh bid for mayor in 1993, Kollek, aged 82, lost to Likud candidate Ehud Olmert.
Relationship with the Arab community
In the Six-Day War of 1967, East Jerusalem, which had been under Jordanian control since 1948, was taken over by Israel. As mayor of a newly united Jerusalem, Kollek’s approach toward her Arab inhabitants was governed by pragmatism. “I’d love the city to be empty of Arabs, but since they are here we need to serve them, because if we treat them badly they will hate us more,”[5] he was once quoted as saying. Within hours of the transfer of authority, he arranged for the provision of milk for Arab children. Some Israelis considered him pro-Arab.[5]
Kollek advocated religious tolerance and made numerous efforts to reach out to the Arab community during his tenure. Muslims continued to have access to al-Aqsa Mosque and al-Haram ash-Sharif (the Temple Mount) for worship, and Kollek criticized Jews for establishing new neighborhoods in contentious parts of the city. On one occasion, he protested outside the office of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir for this reason.
Kollek’s views toward the annexation of East Jerusalem softened after leaving office, he himself conceding that self-rule for the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem should be considered.[8] The status of East Jerusalem has remained controversial up to the present.
Civic and cultural projects
Kollek dedicated himself to many cultural projects during his lengthy term in office, most notably the development and expansion of the Israel Museum. From 1965-1996, he was president of the museum, and officially designated its founder in 2000. When the museum celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1990, Kollek was named "Avi Ha-muze'on" ("father of the museum"). [9]
Kollek was also instrumental in the establishment of the Jerusalem Theater, and served as the founder and head of the Jerusalem Foundation. Through a leadership which spanned decades, Kollek raised millions of dollars from private donors for civic development projects and cultural programs. Kollek once remarked that Israel needed a strong army, but it also needed expressions of culture and civilization.[5]
Later Years
Kollek continued to be active in retirement, maintaining a five-day work week into his nineties, even as he became increasingly infirm.[10] He and his wife lived in their walk-up Rehavia apartment until the mid-1990s, when they moved to Hod Yerushalayim, a retirement home in the Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood. [11]Kollek died on January 2, 2007. He is buried on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem.
Commemoration
- Teddy Stadium in Malcha, Jerusalem, is named for him.
See also
Quotes
"Jerusalem's people of differing faiths, cultures and aspirations must find peaceful ways to live together other than by drawing a line in the sand" [12]
References
- ^ a b c Wilson, Scott (2 January 2007). "Longtime Mayor of Jerusalem Dies at 95". The Washington Post. p. 2. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Zvielli, Alexander (2 January 2007). "Teddy Kollek and his life-long dedication". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Bergman, Ronen (29 March 2007). "Kollek was British informer". Ynetnews. p. 1. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Legendary Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek to be laid to rest in Jerusalem". Haaretz. 3 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Erlanger, Steven (2 January 2007). "Teddy Kollek, Ex-Mayor of Jerusalem, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Zvielli, Alexander (2 January 2007). "Teddy Kollek and his life-long dedication". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Rabinovich, Abraham (2 January 2007). "How Teddy put Jerusalem back together again". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Teddy Kollek, longtime mayor of Jerusalem, dies at 95". International Herald Tribune. 2 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Magazine, Winter-Spring 2007, p.3)
- ^ Lefkovitz, Etgar (2 January 2007). "Legendary Jerusalem mayor Kollek dies at 95". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://www.israelexperience.com/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Eye+on+Israel/Gallery+of+People+(Biographies)/Kollek+Teddy.htm
- ^ http://melonhead.newsvine.com/_news/2007/01/04/506489-teddy-kollek-95-jerusalem-mayor-was-a-founding-father-of-israel-los-angeles-times