This is a portrait of Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek from the Dan Hadani archive. Kollek is smiling and wearing an open-necked blue shirt and jacket.
Teddy Kollek was born in Austria and arrived in Israel in 1934, where he helped to found Kibbutz Ein Gev. During the Holocaust, he was involved in the Jewish Agency’s efforts to rescue European Jews. After the establishment of the State of Israel, Kollek held various political roles and then served as mayor of Jerusalem for twenty-eight years.
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Teddy Kollek – Theodor (Teddy) Kollek (1911–2007) was born and raised in Vienna, moved to Israel in 1934, and was one of the founders of Kibbutz Ein Gev. During World War II, Kollek was involved in rescuing Jews from Europe. After the war, he traveled to the United States on behalf of the Haganah and worked to acquire ammunitions for Israel’s future army. He worked closely with Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and ran the Prime Minister’s Office for six years. Kollek was interested in developing cultural institutions in Jerusalem and participated in the founding of the Israel Museum and the Jerusalem Theater. In 1965, Teddy Kollek was elected mayor of Jerusalem, a position that he held for twenty-eight years. During these years, Jerusalem was reunified as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War, and Kollek worked tirelessly to unite the city both physically and socially by developing ties with all segments of society, including the Arab and ultra-Orthodox communities. He was, in addition, a successful fundraiser and established the Jerusalem Foundation which raises money to further develop the city. Kollek was awarded the Israel Prize in 1988.
Jerusalem – Jerusalem is the holiest city in Judaism and has played a significant part in Jewish and general world history, hosting many biblical and historical events. The most significant for Jews is the belief that the two Jewish temples stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was selected as Israel’s capital by King David over 3,000 years ago and has been the heart of the Jewish people ever since with countless references to the city in the Bible, prayers, and traditions. Throughout history Jerusalem has been ruled by a variety of nations. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, King Cyrus of Persia allowed Jews return to the city and rebuild the Temple seventy years later. In 332 BCE, the city was conquered by Alexander the Great, thus commencing Greek rule. The Maccabees’ rebellion resulted in a return to Jewish rule led by the Hasmoneans. In 63 BCE the Roman, Pompey, captured Jerusalem. During Roman rule, King Herod ruled over Jerusalem and embarked on large building projects including improvements to the Second Temple. In 70 CE, the Romans destroyed the Temple and in 135 CE rebuilt Jerusalem as a Roman city named Aelia Capitolina. The Roman period was followed by the Byzantine Period, during which, in 335 CE, the holy Christian site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built. After the Muslims captured Jerusalem, they built the Dome of the Rock on the site of the Temple ruins in 691 CE. The city was captured in succession by the Crusaders, the Mamluks, and, finally, the Ottomans in 1517. Great Britain received the Mandate to govern Jerusalem after World War I. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted to partition the land governed by the British into two independent states with Jerusalem as an international city. The Arab states didn’t accept the Partition Plan, and it never went into effect. As a result of the War of Independence, Jordan had control of the eastern part of the city which included the Old City and the Western Wall (the Kotel). For 19 years the city was divided by barbed wire, and Jews were prohibited from entering the eastern Jordanian-controlled side. Jerusalem was nonetheless declared Israel’s capital during this period. Today, Jerusalem is home to Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is Israel’s largest city and houses the Knesset (the parliament), all government and national institutes, and many academic, religious, and cultural buildings and institutions.
