Teddy Kollek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Teddy Kollek
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| טדי קולק | |
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| Mayor of Jerusalem | |
| In office 29 November 1965 – 2 November 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Mordechai Ish-Shalom |
| Succeeded by | Ehud Olmert |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kollek Tivadar
27 May 1911 Nagyvázsony, Hungary |
| Died | 2 January 2007 (aged 95) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Citizenship | Israel |
| Nationality | Hungary Israel |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Spouse | Tamar (1916–2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (1985)
Israel Prize (1988) Honorary Citizen of Vienna (2001) |
Theodor "Teddy" Kollek (Hebrew: טדי קולק; 27 May 1911 – 2 January 2007) was an important Israeli politician. He served as the mayor of Jerusalem for a very long time, from 1965 to 1993. He also started the Jerusalem Foundation, which helps develop the city.
Teddy Kollek was re-elected five times by the people of Jerusalem. He was known for helping Jerusalem grow into a modern city. Many people called him "the greatest builder of Jerusalem since Herod".
Contents
Early Life and Family
Theodor Kollek was born in a place called Nagy-Vázsony in Hungary in 1911. His parents, Alfred and Margaret, named him after Theodor Herzl, a famous Zionist leader. In 1918, his family moved to Vienna, Austria. Teddy grew up sharing his father's belief in Zionism, which is the idea of a Jewish homeland.
In 1935, the Kollek family moved to Mandatory Palestine, which was controlled by the British at the time. In 1937, Teddy helped start a Kibbutz (a community farm) called Ein Gev. It was located by Lake Kinneret. That same year, he married Tamar Schwarz. They had two children: a son named Amos Kollek, who became a film director, and a daughter named Osnat.
Working for Israel
Helping Israel's Defense
During the 1940s, Teddy Kollek played a key role in helping to establish the future state of Israel. He worked for the Jewish Agency, which was like a government for the Jewish community in Palestine.
During World War II, Kollek worked to protect Jewish interests in Europe. Later, in 1947–1948, he worked in Washington, D.C., to get weapons for Israel's new army. He was also important in creating a partnership between Israel's intelligence agency, the Mossad, and the American CIA in the 1940s and 1950s.
In National Government
Teddy Kollek became a close friend and helper to David Ben-Gurion, who was Israel's first Prime Minister. From 1952, Kollek worked as the director-general of the prime minister's office. This meant he was in charge of running the Prime Minister's daily operations.
Mayor of Jerusalem
In 1965, Teddy Kollek became the Mayor of Jerusalem. He felt it was a very important job. He believed Jerusalem was the "heart and soul" of Jewish history.
During his time as mayor, Jerusalem grew a lot and became a modern city. This was especially true after the city was reunited in 1967, following the Six-Day War. He was mayor for 28 years! He was re-elected five times. In 1993, at 82 years old, he ran for mayor again but lost to Ehud Olmert.
Working with All Communities
After the Six-Day War in 1967, East Jerusalem, which had been controlled by Jordan, became part of Israel. As mayor of the newly united city, Kollek worked hard to make sure everyone could live together. He quickly made sure that Arab children received milk. Some people even thought he was too supportive of the Arab community.
Kollek believed in religious freedom for everyone. He made many efforts to connect with the Arab community. Muslims continued to have access to Masjid Al-Aqsa (also known as the Temple Mount) for worship. He strongly believed Jerusalem should never be divided again.
City Projects and Culture
Teddy Kollek was very involved in many cultural projects. He founded and led the Jerusalem Foundation. This foundation helped raise money for many city projects and cultural programs. He also helped create the Jerusalem Theatre.
The Israel Museum
One of Kollek's biggest cultural achievements was helping to build and expand the Israel Museum. He was the president of the museum from 1965 to 1996. He was even called "Avi Ha-muze'on" ("father of the museum") in 1990.
Kollek raised millions of dollars from people who wanted to help the city. He believed that Israel needed a strong army, but also needed art and culture.
Jerusalem Zoo
Teddy Kollek was a great supporter of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. He helped move the zoo to a much bigger and better location in 1993. The new zoo, called The Tisch Family Zoological Garden, is now a modern place for animals.
Kollek helped the zoo get money to build a home for elephants. They even named their male elephant "Teddy" and a female elephant "Tamar" after him and his wife! In 2001, for his 90th birthday, the zoo celebrated him and opened a new sculpture garden in his honor.
Later Years and Passing
Even after he retired, Teddy Kollek remained active. He worked five days a week even into his nineties. He and his wife lived in a retirement home in Jerusalem in their later years.
Teddy Kollek passed away on 2 January 2007. He is buried in Mount Herzl, Israel's national cemetery, in Jerusalem.
Awards and Honors
Teddy Kollek received many awards for his work:
- In 1985, he won the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
- In 1988, he received the Israel Prize, which is one of Israel's highest honors.
- In 2001, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Vienna, Austria.
Several places in Jerusalem are named after him, including Teddy Stadium and the Teddy Fountain.
See also
- List of mayors of Jerusalem
- List of Israel Prize recipients
- List of honorary citizens of Vienna
