Forty years ago in Munich, a group of Black September terrorists perpetrated the most heinous act in the history of the Olympics. When the dust settled 11 members of the Israeli Olympic delegation lay dead. I can’t even begin to count how many prominent Jews and Jewish organizations have called on the International Olympic Committee to observe a moment of silence in honor of the fallen Olympians. IOC President Jacques Rogge has been steadfast in his refusal to do so, stating that doing this during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics would be “inappropriate.” It wasn’t inappropriate to have a moment of silence at the Vancouver Winter Olympics two years ago in honor of Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, a luger who died in a training accident. It wasn’t inappropriate ten years ago during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, to parade a 9-11 flag during the opening ceremonies in honor of the victims of the World Trade Center Bombing. But somehow, a miniscule 60 second pause in the festivities is too much to ask for.

Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, sent a letter this week to Rogge thanking him for his refusal to allow a moment of silence. Rajoud declared “Sports is a bridge for love, connection and relaying peace between peoples. It should not be a factor for separation and spreading racism between peoples…” That’s right. Honoring the Israeli athletes would have been an act of racism. At least according to Rajoub.

The thing is though, I don’t want to condemn these people. I want to thank them.

See, I don’t need a stupid minute to commemorate the heinous act of cowardice that took the lives of Moshe Weinberg, Yossef Romano, Ze’ev Friedman, David Berger, Yakov Springer, Eliezer Halfin, Yossef Gutfreund, Kehat Shorr, Mark Slavin, Andre Spitzer and Amitzur Shapira. I mean what was the takeaway from the Munich massacre? During the crisis, other Olympic athletes were seen sunbathing and playing ping pong. After the athletes were killed, the games were temporarily suspended and a commemorative ceremony was held. All flags were at half mast, but when 10 Arab countries objected, their flags were almost immediately raised back up to the top. A few months after the massacre, a Lufthansa Jumbo Jet containing only 12 passengers and crew, all male, was hijacked and the hijackers demanded the release of the two surviving Black September terrorists. The German government, who it turns out was complicit in this farce, immediately released Mohammed Safady and Adnan Al-Gashey who received a heroes welcome upon their arrival in Libya.

So what was the takeaway? The answer is simple. Jewish life is cheap. When people are killed because they are Jewish or Israeli, no one cares. In refusing to spare a minute to commemorate the victims of the Munich massacre, IOC President Jacques Rogge simply but effectively reminds us of this fact and thus adds another to a long list of affronts to the Jewish people. Thanks Jacques! Thanks International Olympic Committee! Thanks London 2012! Tonight when you all are celebrating the Olympic spirit, and Jews continue to clamor for recognition of their dead, I’ll be in Jerusalem, enjoying Shabbat dinner with friends and loved ones. That’s the best way for me to commemorate our fallen, that’s the best fuck you I can think of. Shabbat Shalom!

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About the author

ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem with his wife, newborn daughter and toddler son. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.

21 Comments

  • The IOC is bought and paid for. Everyone knows this. So, in this instance, it's not that Jewish life is cheap, but that Arab money is more valuable.

    • And another tragedy is that the national Olympic committees are the most corrupt in the poorest countries, such as Afghanistan and India.

    • If Sheldon Adelson offered certain IOC grandees several milliion each, we would be having an hour of silence at the Olympics.

  • Just came up with this Jewish joke, to go along with your great blog entry I just shared:

    Israel: "Knock knock!"
    IOC: Who's there?"
    Israeli: "10 dead Israeli Olympic athletes."
    IOC: "10 dead Israeli Olympic athletes WHO?
    Israel: "Exactly!"

  • Just came up with this Jewish joke, to go along with your blog entry… great article!

    Israel: "Knock knock!"
    IOC: "Who's there?"
    Israeli: "10 dead Israeli Olympic athletes."
    IOC: "10 dead Israeli Olympic athletes WHO?"
    Israel: (speechless)

    • I will never forget that horrible day — I don't understand why they can't have just one minute of silence to honor those wonderful athletes who were savagely murdered by terrorists ………..

  • If the IOC were honest and transparent, they would, in addition to a minutes silence for, but have an inquiry into, the OBSTRUCTION of the Palestinians from entering the olympic games. Even the self-haters amongst your readers will concede that were the Palestinians allowed to send teams to the games, there could be much aggression averted, as certain rivalries amongst middle-eastern peoples could be better vented on properly-refereed competion rather than helicopter gunship and homemade rocket exchanges over an apartheid wall.

    • Is palestine a country? Isnt the name Palestine from the Philistines who conquered the land thousands of years ago? Hmm Palestinan People – is a misnomer. 1) The people who lived in the land were nomads and were told to stay but if you leave you cant come back. 2) Wasnt that what TransJordan created for? And why is it only these refugees is the world concerned about? What about the refugees from Iran and Iraq who were kicked out of there country in the early 50’s and never given anything in retribution. Oh, I forgot. They were Jews and Jewish life is cheap. Very cheap. Jeez. Get a grip. Aggression averted? Are you serious. After the Jews are all gone, brother, they are going after you!

  • The Israeli athletes taking part in this year’s 2012 London olympiad should have carried and help up for everyone to see a large electronic flashing board depicting the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by those Arab terrorist barbarians at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
    I consider Jacques Rogge a Jew-hating pro-Palestinian monster.

  • To Jonathan B. and all the unbelievers,

    Israel and our reps (including in the Olympic committee) have been doing nothing BUT fighting for a minute of silence for the past year-It’s been all over the news in Israel, however the Olympic committee fought this issue objected and won, and here’s why: There are two huge blemishes in the committees past (at least): The Munich massacre of Israeli athletes, and the bribes some members of the committee took years ago to have the games held in specific countries…. Needless to say they are so full of guilt that having a moment of silence was out of the question…

    Israel held a sad ceremony at the Embassy in London, which was small, sad and too hushed-up of course, but was shown live on Israeli TV. Similarly, the ceremony Pro-Israel congressmen and women held in Washington was shown on TV voicing US displeasure with the Olympic commitee’s decision. And finally, during the opening ceremony, on Israeli TV friday night, channel 1 put a slide on and mentioned all the Israeli athletes Munich victims by name, and held a minute of silence on the air. With them or without them, this will be an open wound, and by disrespecting their memory the Olympic committee just keeps the wound bleeding for years – we must remind them that it is their obligation to respect their memory and not try to avoid it!