A STATEMENT ON TEDDY KOLLEK from the Israel Museum:

A STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF TEDDY KOLLEK
JANUARY 2, ‏2007

The entire family of the Israel Museum mourns today the passing of Teddy Kollek.

Teddy's vision shaped the modern landscape of Jerusalem, embracing as its cultural centerpiece the plan for a museum of art, archeology, and the material culture of the Jewish world that would parallel the national museums of other countries worldwide.

From its founding in 1965, Teddy guided the flowering of what would become one of the largest encyclopedic museums in the world, comprising over 500,000 objects spanning the timeline of material culture from pre-historic archeology through contemporary art. He also envisioned the Museum as a vital educational setting where Jerusalem's and Israel's many communities could together learn to appreciate the rich cultural heritage of an intercommunal world.

With charisma and determination, Teddy also forged an international network of friends - the Museum’s International Council - whose contributions of gifts of works of art and financial support have enabled the Museum to achieve world-class standing in a history of just over forty years - a result which is surely without parallel in the museum world.

"Teddy was visionary in his conception for a museum that would be the jewel in the cultural landscape of modern Jerusalem, in the cultural crown of the modern State of Israel. The comprehensive reach, and sheer physical beauty, of the Museum and its campus are a true testament to his success," states James Snyder, Director of the Museum.

"The Israel Museum today stands as a proud symbol of Israel’s cultural heritage, from the archeology of the ancient Land of Israel to the creativity of Israel’s artists today, seen within the context of world cultural heritage. Teddy realized this dream through his persuasiveness with a community of supporters from around the world - an achievement almost as remarkable as the Museum itself," states Isaac Molho, Chairman of the Board of the Museum.

Teddy himself, together with his wife Tamar, was also a donor to the Museum, with gifts of archeological objects and historical maps from their private collection.

Teddy served as Chairman of the Museum from 1965 through 1996, and then as President until his designation as Founder in 2000. On the occasion of the Museum's 25th Anniversary in 1990, he was named Avi Ha Muzeon (Father of the Museum), and he and Tamar were named the 100th Honorary Fellows of the Museum in 2000. Teddy enjoyed an intense relationship of commitment, caring, and affection with many members of the Museum's staff, its Board, and its International Council, and he will be greatly missed by all of them.