On September 5, 1972, the Israeli delegation to the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, was attacked in a brutal terrorist act. David Berger, Yossef Gutfreund, Moshe Weinberg, Eliezer Halfin, Mark Slavin, Ze’ev Friedman, Yosef Romano, Kehat Schor, Andrei Spitzer, Amizur Shapira and Yakov Springer were murdered.
Copyright © 1972 – International Olympic Committee – All rights reserved
On the morning of September 5, a gang of eight armed terrorists of the Black September Organization, disguised as unsuspicious athletes, penetrated the Israeli delegation quarters in the Olympic Village. After a desperate struggle, in which Moshe Weinberg and Yosef Romano were killed, other members of the delegation were held prisoners in one of the rooms. The terrorists held 9 Israeli hostages for 17 hours, while negotiating with the German Authorities. After a nerve-racking wait, the shackled and bound together Israeli hostages were led by the terrorists to helicopters. The rescue attempt of the Israeli hostages by the German police failed and led to the terrorist cold-blooded murder of all the nine hostages.
The Olympic Committee of Israel
The commemoration of the eleven fallen athletes of Munich 1972 are a guiding beacon for the Olympic Committee of Israel and each year, according to the Hebrew calendar date - the 26th of the month of Elul - a memorial ceremony is held for the fallen eleven at the Memorial Site on Weizmann St, Tel Aviv. Another customary act is for the Israeli delegations to the Olympics, prior to their departure to the Olympic Games, to gather at the Memorial Site and lay a wreath in honor of the memories of the fallen. As of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the Olympic Committee of Israel has held memorial ceremonies at the Olympic Games themselves. The Heads of International Olympic Committee, members of the local Jewish Communities, and other honorable guests as well as the Israeli Olympic team are invited to participate in these ceremonies.
The Olympic Committee of Israel – All rights reserved ©