64 Friday, May 29, 1981 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Teddy Kollek — Portrait of Jerusalem's Mayor By SHOSHANA CYNGEL World Zionist Press Service JERUSALEM — His love for the city of Jerusalem is burning. He is dynamic and enthusiastic, both idealistic and pragmatic, a man moved by a vision yet also an expert politician. De- termined, often furious, yet ready to comprise for the good of the city, Teddy Kol- lek, mayor of united Jerusalem, is thought un- beatable in city elections because, though a Labor Party man, his voters seem to come from all parties. Teddy Kollek is currently completing a tenure of office of 15 years as mayor of the Holy City. One could say that without him Jerusalem would probably not be what it is today — Israel's largest city and one in which Jews and Arabs live in peaceful co-exitence, even if not yet in brotherhood. Teddy Kollek the mayor is known all over the world. But who is Teddy Kollek the man? What makes him tick? What are his beliefs, his hopes and" plans? Over the years, Teddy has ap- peared on countless occa- sions in the Israeli press. Teddy Kollek has un- doubtedly succeeded in coping with a variety of problems typical to Jerusalem — a city of tremendous political, religious, and social con- troversies and tensions since unification after the Six-Day War. His achievements are much greater than his failures. He is above all A man who succeeds in bringing people together, who knows how to relax ten- sions between Jews and Arabs, religious and sec- ular, the rich and the poor. He prevented, for in- stance, the destruction of the memorial built in honor of the Jordanian soldiers killed in the Six-Day War. He preaches day and night for co-existence between Jews and Arabs. Yet he is no "dove." At a recent gather- ing, he said he didn't believe too much in Jewish-Arab brotherhood but he did be- lieve in peaceful co- existence and living har- moniously together. Teddy Kollek believes "five or six or 10 years will pass before we'll have to de-. cide what to do in Jerusalem. Meanwhile we must continue living to- gether with the Arabs." "I don't love the Arabs more than anyone else but we must live together," he emphasizes. "The Arabs must realize that it will not be worse for them than today . . ." think under certain conditions they would vote for autonomy, not for a PLO state. In this way they'll be able to keep their Jordanian citizenship, to have an autonomy of education." Another major problem in Jerusalem is the Jewish religious-secular confronta- tion. Teddy Kollek does ev- erything in his power to calm the raging spirits on both sides. He is not reli- gious but he respects faith and rabbis. He hates, how- ever, religious fanatacism, and attacks it outspokenly. About his social and polit- ical views he says, "I am England. He organized roots here mainly because of arms-smuggling operations my work. If I would have of the Hagana and headed worked 15 or 30 `years the first Israeli military elsewhere, I would have felt at home there. It is the same delegation in the U.S. In 1950-52 he served as in Jerusalem." ministery plenipotentiary Kollek is not rich but in Washington and was he knows how to raise nominated by former Prime money for his city. Minister David Ben-Gurion From this point of view it is as director-general of the beyond doubt that without prime minister's office. He him Jerusalem would not played leading roles in have been what it is today. encouraging tourism and in He fights like a lion for the building the Israel Museum causes he believes in and in- before his election as mayor. spires others to assist in the Kollek is like a volcano, implementation of his charming and impulsive, vision. Every few months it is working from 6 a.m. until midnight, devoted to the mentioned in the news- city he deeply loves. There papers that Teddy Kollek is no one who speaks for will be appointed to the Jerusalem better than he. Cabinet as minister of Everyday municipal Jerusalem issues. Teddy routine work bores him. He would love to be a minis- hates being alone. However, ter if it would make him he says he isn't always able better able to advance to understand people, nor Jerusalem issues and does he have many friends take part in the political negotiations about the in Israel. Kollek says he likes future of the city. When "sitting with Yeshayau he is asked about it, he TEDDY KOLLEK Berlin not because I replies humorously that he'll remain mayor of think ahead seven, eight, understand much about Jerusalem until the year even 10 years, not 50 or 100. philosophy. We gossip 2000. With Teddy, every- It is impossible to predict about the Oxford profes- thing is possible . . . every detail in the future, so sors." * * * "I don't understand much it is really intuition." about music, but I love sit- Kollek issued the follow- This month, Kollek, ting with Isaac Stern talk- ing message for Jerusalem born in Vienna, was 70 ing about famous conduc- Day, which will be observed years old. He says if he tors. From this point of on Monday: were 10 years younger he view, you can say I am at "Jerusalem Day, mark- would now run for the home with many non- ing the anniversary of the premiership. He has Israeli people. It is not a reunification of Israel's cap- qualifications for it. question of place. I feel at ital, is a day of remembr- Coming to Israel in 1935, home with them in ance and of redidication: he was one of the founders of Jerusalem as well as in • "Remembrance of the Kibutz Ein-Gev in 1937. In London and New York." havoc and suffering caused Teddy Kollek says he does during 19 years of Jorda- 1938-39 he was a member of an educational delegation not feel completely at home nian occupation of part of to various Zionist groups in in any language. "I think, Jerusalem, of the dire Europe. In 1941 he worked though, that it is not true to threat faced by the rest of at the Jewish Agency in say I lack roots here. I have the city early in June, 1967, usually a pragmatist. Also, I am not a socialist. I do be- - lieve in social justice. I was influenced by the English Labor Party and previously by the Social-Democrats in Austria." Yet one of his non-successes has been in Sephardic slum areas like Musrara. Teddy Kollek's vision is world-embracing. He is a man of intuition rather than of plans and his intui- tion rarely fails him. "I and of the sacrifices in pre- cious human lives that were required to thwart the re- newed Jordanian aggres- sion, leading to the restora- tion to our nation of its most hallowed historic and reli- gious sites; • "Rededication to the tasks of restoring the splen- dor of Jerusalem, of preserv- ing its universal character as a free and open city holy to three great religions and, above all, of assuring once more the true essence of it' ancient Hebrew name the City of Peace. "The Jerusalem of today is both a powerful source of spiritual inspi- ration and a sprawling metropolis that is the- heart of a vibrant Jewish state, struggling against tremendous odds for human progress, mutual tolerance and harmoni- ous co-existence. "In an era that has seen a first and auspicious start along the rocky road to peace, Jerusalem stands out as a model of good neighborly relations be- tween Arabs and Jews which — though as yet far from perfect — prove that real peace cannot be achieved in one bold stroke. Nevertheless, it is a goal that is attainable and worth striving for in the common interest of all the peoples of our region. "At a time when Israel must find the strength to win the peace, just as it did to win four major wars forced upon it, there is greater significance than ever to the biblical words: `Out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of God from Jerusalem.' " The Former Mandelbaum Home in Jerusalem Symbol of A City By DAVID MATTHEWS Jerusalem Municipaldy JERUSALEM — When Simha Mandelbaum built his home here a half- ° century ago, he had no idea it would become a part of history. In fact, that house was to become the very symbol of the conflict in the Middle East which has dog- ged our generation: from 1948 to 1967 it was the only passageway between the two sectors of divided Jerusalem. All Mandelbaum wanted was a home sufficient to ac- commodate his growing clan. His father, Baruch, had moved from Russia to Jerusalem back in 1871. The elder Mandelbaum was a rabbi, and he had 10 chil- dren. Simha was also or- dained as a rabbi, and like his father, he also had 10 children. This called for something other than the cramped little homes avail- able at that time within the walls of Jerusalem's Old City. Simha, who was also a successful textile manufac- turer, purchased a half-acre of land outside the Old City and built his house. It was a stately home of 50 rooms and even contained its own synagogue. At one time or another, most of Simha's 10 children and 85 grandchildren lived under its roof. No doubt the man took much pride and pleasure in his grand house ring- ing with the sound of his offspring. Added satis- faction came from the fact that the house was in a mixed neighborhood of Arabs and Jews who lived together in har- mony. Then politics disrupted everything. The first Arab- Israeli war broke out in 1947, and both sides fought bitterly for control of Jerusalem. Jewish forces found themselves using the large Mandelbaum house as a defense position, and fighting raged through its very halls. The house changed hands no less than seven times. The Arab Legion finally mined the mansion and blew it up. It was bad enough that the Mandelbaum family had lost its home. But to add insult to injury, when the fighting stopped, the armi- stice line dividing Jerusalem into Israeli and Jordanian sectors was drawn right through the ruins of the Mandelbaum living room. The site of the Mandel- baum house became Jerusalem's Checkpoint Charlie. The barrier which was lifted for diplomats and UN personnel to cross from one side of the divided city to the other became known as the Mandelbaum Gate. According to the armi- stice agreement, Jews were to be allowed access to their synagogues and holy sites inside the Jordanian-held Old City of Jerusalem. But this agreement was never honored, and the Man- delbaum Gate, once a flourishing Jewish household in a peaceful, coexisting neighbor- hood, became a sore point for Israelis. Christian pilgrims were permitted to pass through the Mandelbaum Gate at Christmas and Easter to visit their holy places in and around the Old City, and in Bethlehem. What should have been merely a matter of crossing a street, how- ever, became a diplomatic and bureaucratic thicket. Israeli Christians and tourists had to apply for exit and re-entry permits from Israel, as well' as for a visa and exit permit from the Jordanian authorities. Pil- grims also had to produce certificates of church mem- bership. Even then, would-be travelers through the Man- delbaum Gate might be de- nied permission at the last minute. During Easter week in 1966, for example, this reporter recalls waiting his turn for several hours to pass through the checkpoints. The queue was a city-block long, and the disappointment of many people who were denied entry for some technical reason was acute. The Six-Day War of 1967 brought the reunifi- cation of Jerusalem. The Mandelbaum Gate was dismantled, and after 19 years of division, the city was restored to the unity it had known for 40 cen- turies. Arabs who had lived along the dividing line near the checkpoint moved back and rebuilt their homes. Members of the Mandelbaum family also thought about re- building their home. But virtually nothing was left of the once-impressive home, and as the artificial boundaries were removed, the site became a major in- tersection for streets whose names tell so much about the Holy City: Samuel the Prophet Street, Central Command Road, St. George Street and Tribes of Israel Street. Today, only a plaque re- mains to mark where • the Mandelbaum house once stood. Dr. Moshe Mandelbaum, one of the many descen- dants of the clan's founder still living in Jerusalem to- day, speaks nostalgically about the house. "So many memories linger behind that plaque," he said, "and so much of this city. This is where I used to team u with the Arab boys next door to play soccer against a squad of Italian Catholic kids and Arab boys from a big school down the street." Dr. Mandelbaum is cheered by the news that the city of Jerusalem is to dedicate a museum soon near the site of his former home. The museum will be devoted to the reunification of the city. Photographs and artifacts will illustrate the story of a house that became a checkpoint, an ethnically mixed neighborhood that became divided, and a torn city that was healed and flourishes once again.