Mayors Kollek and Beame Exchange Gifts at Jerusalem Unity Gala

Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem and Mayor Abraham D. Beame of New York exchanged gifts symbolizing a decade of Jerusalem’s unity at a gala celebration at the Pierre Hotel here yesterday. The celebration, which also marked the closing of the nationwide 1977 United Jewish Appeal fundraising effort, was attended by more than 500 Jewish leaders from 29 states and dozens of mayors of various cities across the country. The event was sponsored by the UJA.

Addressing the gathering, Kollek said that 10 years after Jerusalem’s unification no country in the world has recognized it and no government has established its embassy there. He noted the progress that Jerusalem has achieved, in all areas, since it was united but he observed nonetheless that Jerusalem still faces major problems such as co-existence between Jews and Arabs, absorption of new immigrants, security and closing the gaps between affluent and poor citizens of the city. Kollek called on American Jewry to exercise “more action and more activity” on behalf of Jerusalem and Israel.

Leonard Strelitz, the newly elected UJA general chairman, announced a $700 million fund-raising goal for the 1978 UJA campaign–the highest ever in the agency’s 39-year-old history. “For Jerusalem’s sake, we will not be silent,” Strelitz said. “We must never stop letting the people of Israel know that we’re behind them, that in this time of testing, UJA and the American Jewish community are their bridge over troubled waters. We proclaim the indivisibility of Jerusalem–the Holy City sacred to Jews for 4000 years. On the ground of Jerusalem we stand firm–not only for the 13 million Jews alive today, but for our fathers and grandfathers and those before them. We stand firm for our children and their children. For them, Jerusalem lives. It need never be a memory again,” Strelitz said.

Referring to the political situation in Israel, Strelitz stated: “Although there is a new government forming, we must continue to be honest and candid with our friends in Israel in terms of American reactions to their policies. But we must be aware–and we must make our neighbors aware–that it is ultimately the people of Israel and their children who must defend their policies–and their land.” Frank R. Lautenberg, UJA out-going chairman, told the standing-room-only audience that “The reunification of Jerusalem is an event that calls for the Jewish people to rejoice. Jerusalem is the center of contemporary Jewish life–it gives meaning to our history and purpose to our experience. Its unity reflects our unity.”