The Hermit of Jerusalem

He was last photographed on Dec. 10, 1983, when he moved out of the Prime Minister's official residence on Jerusalem's Balfour Street. Even then, he did not emerge in full view: slightly stooped and showing his age, Menachem Begin, 70, was partly shielded by his daughter Hassia. The curiosity was understandable. Begin had been in seclusion since the previous September, after he abruptly announced he was quitting the job he had held since 1977. "I cannot carry on," he said simply. Aides and friends alike described him as darkly depressed by the 1982 death of his wife Aliza and the continuing toll of a war that was supposed to have been a swift success. Toward the end of his tenure, when a caller complimented him on the invasion of Lebanon, he could only murmur, "But the casualties, the casualties."

Once one of the world's most visible leaders, Begin now lives like a hermit in a 3 1/2 room apartment on Zemach Street, two blocks from the home of his son Benyamin. He sees his three children (the third, Leah, works as a ground hostess for El Al), nine grandchildren and a few old friends, but no one else. He spends his days reading and talking on the telephone, which he often answers himself. An Israeli diplomat who recently called his home found him well informed and alert.

Since Begin has suffered three heart attacks and a stroke, his health remains precarious. Speculation still flourishes on why he resigned. "He is highly sentimental," explains a former aide. "He took all the responsibility on himself, so for the time being he will not tell his full story nor accuse anybody."

After the election date was announced last March, some supporters lobbied to place Begin's name on the official list of candidates as a sign of their esteem. But the former Prime Minister demurred.

Though out of sight, Begin has not been entirely out of public mind: he has been interviewed on Israeli radio, most recently last week, after the death of his former Deputy Prime Minister, Yigael Yadin.

Nor has his influence completely waned: when Deputy Prime Minister David Levy considered challenging Yitzhak Shamir for the Herut Party nomination, Begin's son called Levy, presumably at his father's request, and urged him to withdraw. Levy did. The master politician may have given up his job, but not his touch.