Elizabeth Taylor, superstar of the silver screen and volunteer peace-maker, made regal progress through Jerusalem yesterday, escorted by the latest man-in-her-life, Mexican lawyer Victor Luna and followed by a small army of media cameramen and reporters.
She is here, she declared, because she cares about peace, she told Ophira Navon, wife of President Yitzhak Navon of Israel. Mrs. Navon was the first person called on by Ms. Taylor in her 10-day tour of Israel and Lebanon which includes visits with Premier Menachem Begin and President Amin Gemayel.
The actress, resplendent in a flower-print dress, curly hair style and very high heeled shoes, swept through the opulent lobby of the King David Hotel as tourists and locals gawked. Later, she created near pandemonium at the Western Wall as the host of male photographers followed her into the section reserved for women. At her request, they laid down their cameras, while Ms. Taylor, who converted to Judaism many years ago, bowed her head in a moment of meditation beside the ancient stones.
Later in the day, Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem shepherded his distinguished guest and her caravan of "paparazzi" to the An Akim home for marginally retarded children. Nugget-sized diamonds flashed on her fingers as she petted and played with the awed youngsters.
Ms. Taylor is immensely popular in Israel, not simply because she adopted the Jewish faith. That, in fact, has been only nominal. But she has always retained a warm regard for the Jewish people and the Jewish State.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
