Why the Olympics will not memorialize Munich '72

Jack E. Kemp

You can read some politically incorrect details that never made it into the press both recently and in 1972 concerning the Olympic Committee's anti-semitism.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/27/why-ioc-will-never-memori...

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Recently, new information about the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games was released by German police as a result of pressure from German investigative reporters. It was reported that the "Black September” terrorists were helped by a Nazi group in Germany to get fake IDs, weapons and access to the Olympic Village.

This was not too shocking, as the head of the IOC in 1972 was Avery Brundage, a Nazi sympathizer and anti-Semite. His protege, Juan Samaranch, eventually served the second longest IOC term as president, but his support of Nazis and the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco was kept a dirty secret. Most IOC members knew the truth but stayed silent because he organized a regal lifestyle for them -- with money diverted from sport."

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Gilady informed us that a moment of silence was not possible because if the IOC had a moment of silence for the Israeli athletes, they would also have to do the same for the Palestinians who died at the Olympics in 1972.

My mother said, "But no Palestinian athletes died."

Gilady responded, "Well, there were Palestinians who died at the 1972 Olympics."

I heard one of the widows say to Gilady, "Are you equating the murder of my husband to the terrorists that killed

him?"

Silence.
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The article goes on to detail how one Israeli team member was castrated by the terrorists at or near death from other wounds and his genitals were stuffed in his mouth. Neither Walter Cronkite or Brian Williams were/are ready to mention that level of barbaric detail on the evening news. It is not good that this happened but it is good that these Israelis are willing to talk about it openly - and some outlets, notably the internet, are willing to post these details.

P.S.

In 1972, I was working on the public campgrounds of Kibbutz Neve Yam, on the Mediterranean coast just south of Haifa and Atlit, where Adolph Eichmann had been held in secret before his trial in Jerusalem over a decade earlier. My boss on the campsite, Eli, had a television set up in a small building on the grounds that served as his office. We would watch the games, mostly an American television highlights feed with Israeli commenters, and now recall the surprise and pride a young Israeli boy as he heard from us that Esther Shahamorov had qualified for the 100 meter high hurdles semifinals ("ha hetzi gemer?!"). Esther would leave Munich before that race because of the Munich Massacre of her male teammates. We watched reports of the negotiations and the botched rescue attempt. And we watched a funeral service in Munich where a rabbi intoned prayers in Hebrew.

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Comment by Ree Belinskey on July 29, 2012 at 6:11pm: Just one more avenue of disgust (I feel) wreaked by obamahood! Liar in chief claims to be Christian. NO CHRISTIAN I KNOW REFUSES TO SUPPORT ISRAEL!!!! There's more American Jews who refuse to support Israel than most anybody else. I hope it is true that Israel hunted down and killed every one of the barbarians. Makes me wish America had such chutzpah! We used to - but political correctness has castrated most Americans as well.

Comment by Judy Masserano on July 29, 2012 at 2:49pm: I remember watching the massacre & wondered too. Am disgusted. Thank you, Jack. I learned something new.

Comment by Marianne Hart on July 29, 2012 at 2:32pm: Amen James! I haven't watched the Olympics either because like you I watched as the Israelis were murdered all those years ago. Humanity is so confused about the meaning of those who have true value!

Comment by james stamulis on July 29, 2012 at 1:55pm: i watched that live on TV and i never understood how the German snipers missed the terrorists at the airport. it was not that hard a shot and then they threw grenades in the copters with the Israeli athletes in handcuffs. i refuse to watch this Olympics in protest. Israel in the years following track down all involved and killed them to my delight.

Comment by Alexandra Wilhite on July 29, 2012 at 1:52pm: Anti sematism is alive and well...and Obama is leading the parade. This man has insulted the jewish people over and over again. The Olympics are not about he athletes, its about politics and being politically correct...We as a nation need to support Israel and not let the palestinians hood wink us.

Comment by Jack Kemp on July 29, 2012 at 1:39pm

Debrajoe, here's some more 1936 Olympic anti-semitism. From Wikipedia's entry for "Marty Glickman:"

Martin "Marty" Glickman (August 14, 1917 – January 3, 2001) was a Jewish American track and field athlete and sports announcer, born in The Bronx, New York. His parents, Harry and Molly Glickmann, immigrated to the United States from Jassy, Romania.^[1]

Track career spoiled by anti-Semitism at the Berlin Olympics

Glickman was a member of the U. S. team in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, as a sprinter. He had been a track star at Syracuse University. Glickman traveled to Germany and spent two weeks practicing as part of the 400-yard relay team. However, the day before they were scheduled to compete, Glickman and teammate Sam Stoller, two American Jews, were replaced on the 4x100m relay team.

By Glickman’s own account, the last-minute switch was a straightforward case of anti-Semitism.^[2] Avery Brundage, chairman of the United States Olympic Committee, was an enthusiastic supporter of Hitler’s regime and denied that the Nazis followed anti-Semitic policies.^[3] Brundage and assistant U.S. Olympic track coach Dean Cromwell were members of America First, an isolationist political movement that attracted American Nazi sympathizers.

Glickman's friend Jesse Owens was apologetic and protested the maneuver, even though he was one of the replacements, along with Ralph Metcalfe.

In 1998, William J. Hybl, president of the United States Olympic Committee, citing: “great evidence of anti-Semitism was there,” presented Glickman with a special plaque: “in lieu of the gold medals they didn’t win.” ^[4]

Comment by Debrajoe Smith-Beatty on July 29, 2012 at 1:26pm: Thanks. I did not know this.

Comment by Jim Coles on July 29, 2012 at 1:14pm: Nothing that's vile and foul about the Olympics organizers can shock me any more...but this comes pretty close to doing it...grotesque...