Theodor (Teddy) Kollek was born in Hungary in 1911. After his birth, his parents moved to Vienna, Austria. In 1935, three years before Austria's Anschluss to the Third Reich, the family moved to the British Mandate Territory of Palestine. During World War II, Kollek campaigned for the Jews of Europe. He was able to convince Adolf Eichmann to release three thousand young Jews from a concentration camp. Kollek brought these Jews to the UK. After that, too, he set up actions for refugees.

From 1950 to 1952, Kollek was ambassador to the United States and worked in various government positions. He was mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993. Kollek died in Jerusalem in 2007.