Around the time that many of us were purchasing new 2007 wall calendars, the international community offered their final goodbyes to a number of influential people from the last century. The events leading up to and then the funeral of President Gerald Ford kept many glued to the television, while the death of the Godfather of Soul James Brown has been fodder for both the tabloids and CNN alike. Amidst the frenzy and media spotlight on these two men, the Jewish world lost one of its own heroes. Former Jerusalem Mayor Theodore Kollek died on January 2, 2007 at the age of 95.

“Teddy,” as he was known, was laid to rest with the full pomp and circumstance of a state funeral in the section of Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl that is reserved for the nation’s great leaders. During his 28 year tenure as mayor (1965-1993), Teddy transformed Jerusalem into a world class capital city. Teddy was eventually defeated in his bid for a seventh term as mayor by current Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Said Olmert, “The name of Kollek will remain forever a part of the Jerusalem scene. The government and people of Israel bow their heads in deep sorry at the passing of one of the giants among the founding fathers of the state.”

The architectural landscape of 1965 Jerusalem bore little resemblance to the Jerusalem of today, and much of that change is due to Teddy’s imagination, determination and aspirations. Teddy plunged into his role as mayor and was known to work 18 hours a day and keep his personal information in the local phone book. Current Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski commented following Teddy’s death, “Teddy was Jerusalem and Jerusalem was Teddy.” This Vienna-born Zionist, who was named after the Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism made aliyah thirty years before being elected mayor. Once he occupied his prestigious post, he dreamt of creating an exemplary city, complete with culture. Therefore, in 1966, he founded the Jerusalem Foundation, the mission of which was to create a worthy capital.

Teddy’s building and restoration projects were vast and expansive. From large buildings to hillside suburbs, Teddy is said to have been Jerusalem’s most ambitious architect since 16th-century Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who is best known for erecting the current walls of the Old City. Among other ventures, Teddy was the force behind the Israel Museum, the botanical gardens, the Jerusalem Theatre, the Cinemateque and the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. One of the ways that the city formally recognized Teddy’s major public works projects was by officially naming a 21,000 seat soccer arena after him. Hence, the Teddy Stadium stands in prominence in the Malkha neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Following the success of the 1967 Six Day War, Teddy insisted that the Muslim quarter of the Old City be restored alongside the Jewish quarter, but the central government would not grant this request. While Jerusalem was becoming increasingly Orthodox, Teddy remained a secular Jew and attempted to find harmony between the various groups in the city. Given that the physical wall dividing Jerusalem fell, Teddy also wanted to break down the walls of hatred in the city that he lived and breathed. Unfortunately, his dream of coexistence between Arabs and Jews has not materialized. His famous words “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” have not yet come to fruition.

Israeli leaders and some world leaders such as former New York mayor Ed Koch, acknowledged the passing of this giant, but few other individuals or the media eulogized Teddy Kollek for the man he was. He was an idealist amid a landscape of political unrest. He was the mastermind behind the many parks and flowerbeds throughout the city and raised the funds to construct her enormous buildings. It could easily be argued that he was a person who, with little assistance and extreme devotion, transformed Jerusalem into what she is today . He was completely deserving of the 1988 Israel Prize for his special contribution to the country, and he is equally deserving for posthumous recognition for his exceptional life.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Rabbi Robyn Fryer is a rabbi-in-residence at the Chicagoland Jewish High School.