A memorial at the Israeli apartment block where the terrorist attack began
by Philip Barker at the Munich Olympic Park
David Wallechinsky led a short ceremony at which the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) laid a wreath at the memorial in Munich’s Olympic Park on the 50th anniversary of the terrorist attack in which 11 members of the Israeli team lost their lives in 1972.
“These members of the 1972 Israeli team were not murdered because of who they were as individuals, they were not murdered because of anything they had said or anything they did, they were murdered because of their religion, they were murdered because they were Jewish,” Wallechinsky a former president of ISOH said.
“Before I was born, members of my family were murdered by Germans and attacked by Poles. They were murdered and attacked not because of who they were as individuals but because of their religion.”
Wallechinsky was joined by current ISOH President Christian Wacker and fellow member San Charles Haddad, founding President of the Palestine Rowing Federation as others watched the short ceremony.
“I hope the day comes when all Palestinians will come to not just look at Jews and Israelis, and judge them by their religion or nationality, or by the policies of the Israeli government,” Wallechinsky continued.
“I hope that that will look at every single Jewish person and every single Israeli as an individual and I hope when every Israeli and every Jew will not look at the Palestinians based on the actions of a minority who commit terrorist acts, but instead look at every Palestinian as an individual.” Wallechinsky insisted.
The wreath was laid alongside others at the memorial which has been constructed in sight of both the Olympic stadium and the athletes village.
A display on the site uses contemporary film footage to tell the story of the attack which began in the Olympic village and ended at Furstenfeldbruck air base.
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