International Olympic Committee refuses to memorialize the 11 Israeli Olympians massacred by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics
Why memorialize the 11 slain Olympians? After all, they were just some damn Jews.
THE RIGHT THING
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen
politicalmavens.com
July 27, 2012
Three cheers and a big L’Chaim! to NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, who is not taking the IOC’s anti-Semitism lying down.
Despite a growing call worldwide for a moment of silence at the London Olympics later this month in honor of the 11 Israeli victims of the 1972 massacre at the Munich Olympics, the International Olympics Committee has refused to allow it.
Costas reportedly said he plans to publicly “call out” the IOC for its “insensitivity” in denying Israel’s request for one minute of silence at the 40th anniversary of the worst tragedy ever to befall the modern Olympics games – something I’m convinced would have happened automatically were the victims anyone other than Israelis and Jews.
According to reports, Costas “will add his voice to the U.S. Senate, the German Bundestag, the Canadian and Australian parliaments, Italian lawmakers and some 50 members of the British Parliament who are also advocating the moment of silence.”
Costas reportedly said he intends “to note that the IOC denied the request. Many people find that denial more than puzzling but insensitive. Here’s a minute of silence right now.”
Costas reportedly intends to make his remarks when the Israeli delegation enters the Olympic Stadium for the Opening Ceremony.
Good for him.
I’m sure there are millions who will be watching who are not aware of the efforts by Ankie Spritzer, the widow of wrestling coach Andrei Spritzer, and others, to have her husband and his teammates shown the respect at this Olympics they were denied at the games 40 years ago.
Personally, I’m not convinced it wasn’t a flagrant insult that the 1972 Olympics went on as usual after the public executions.
It almost felt as though there was barely a pause as these Jewish bodies were cleared away and things went back to normal, as though some maniacs hadn’t broken into these Jewish men’s living quarters, held them hostage, and shot and killed them because they were Jews.
I’m not sure if the victims had been part of the American team or the Russian, German or any other team, things would have unfolded that way.
And it seems like such a small request – 60 seconds of silence to remember those innocent victims and the rest of us whose innocence was lost to the terrorists’ bullets that day.
What would it cost the Olympics organizers to publicly acknowledge that this event was intentionally targeted for this terrible thing, and that it happened to real people, with lives and families, hopes and dreams, that were stolen by heartless, ruthless, anti-Semitic terrorists?
If they think it would be “politicizing” the Olympics to pay their respects to everything lost to those cold-blooded murderers that day, they’re about 40 years too late. It’s hard to imagine anything more political than what those Palestinian terrorists did, to those innocent men and to the world, which, because of them, may never again really be able to completely believe in anything as noble as what the Olympic Games are supposed to stand for.
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