FOR JERUSALEM

Probably the most devoted admirer of Jerusalem and its mayor, Teddy Kollek, is Kollek himself, and with his son's help he has written about both. It is a disappointing book, without evidence of the vitality or broad sympathies Kollek has displayed as a public figure. From his Vienna youth and his pioneering days in Palestine, his was, however, an eventful life. The action quickens when he is assigned to smuggle Jews from Nazi Germany and, later, smuggle illegal arms from the United States. His activities in the US get him in trouble with the FBI, so he returns to work for the new prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, and thus gets involved in politics. In 1965 he is elected mayor of Jerusalem, which is united with the former Jordanian sector after the 1967 war. Kollek dwells on the social and economic needs of the Arab sector, and his attention to them. He wishes to gain the confidence of the conquered Arabs, whom he believes he understands, and to promote a permanent ""united"" Jerusalem under Israeli rule. In this regard, he is less than frank about some Israeli suppressive measures--while at the same time failing to mention his own opposition to e.g., the razing of houses after terrorist attacks and the construction of skyscrapers within the Old City. The personality and, one assumes, the character, of this exceptional man are submerged in the image of a dedicated public servant.