“Seizing apartments is not the answer. I hope the police arrest them.” This was the reaction last night by Jerusalem’s Mayor Teddy Kollek to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reporter, who queried him about the seizure on Monday by 30 Hebrew University social work students of an apartment in the fashionable Talpiot quarter that the Housing Ministry had reserved for new immigrants. The apartment was turned over to Mordechai Reuven, an employe of the municipality of Jerusalem, whose family of 11 had been living in a one and one-half room apartment. Reuven said he had been reluctant to go along with the seizure of the Talpiot apartment but felt he had no choice since the replies to his requests for adequate living quarters to the Housing Ministry, Deputy Premier Yigal Allon and Kollek has been “Sorry, we can to nothing for you.”
Interviewed prior to his appearance at a dinner of Hadassah which celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center at Ein Karem, Jerusalem, Koliek said he could understand the anguish of a father who could not provide for his children and could not house them adequately. “There are 3000 families living in absolutely inadequate apartments (in Jerusalem),” he said, “clamoring for the government to do more than they have done so far. The government is making a great effort to alleviate the situation. But seizure of apartments is not the answer. I hope the police arrest them.” He continued, “If Reuven wanted to see me, I would have seen him. I see every citizen. If he wrote to me, I don’t remember it. But I promise you one thing. I will look into the matter when I return (later this week).
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