Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the 50th Anniversary of the Munich Massacre, Reps. Burgess Owens (UT-04) and Brad Sherman (CA-30) today introduced a bipartisan House Resolution calling for a moment of silence in Congress and at all future Olympic Opening Ceremonies in honor of the eleven Israeli athletes who were brutally murdered by a group of Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
“During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes were brutally murdered by “Black September,” a group of Palestinian terrorists,” said Rep. Owens. “As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Munich Massacre, I am humbled to join Reps. Sherman and Brown to honor the victims of this extraordinarily dark day. Throughout history, the unifying power of sports and peaceful competition has brought us together. Now more than ever, we must fight all forms of terrorism, antisemitism, and hate.”
“The Munich massacre of 1972, when eleven Israelis were tragically murdered in a heinous terrorist attack, remains one of the darkest chapters in Olympic history,” said Rep. Sherman. “As we near the 50th anniversary of this hateful act, I am proud to co-lead this important and historic resolution that memorializes the victims and provides a powerful reminder of the need to continue the fight against bigotry, anti-Semitism and terror in all its forms.”
“Fifty years ago, Shaker Heights’ hero David Berger and ten other Israeli Olympic team members were tragically killed in a terror attack in Munich, forever changing the face of the Olympics,” said Rep. Brown, an original cosponsor of the resolution. “Today, we must recommit to the security of the Jewish people in the U.S. and worldwide, honoring the story of the 1972 Israeli Team and condemning this and every other horrific criminal act of antisemitism.”
“Hadassah shares the Olympic values of building a better and more peaceful world. A minute of silence should be part of every Opening Ceremony at Olympic Games moving forward to remember the eleven Israeli athletes brutally murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group during the 1972 games in Munich and the police officer who died in the massacre” said Rhoda Smolow, Hadassah National President. “We thank Representative Owens, Representative Sherman and the families of the victims of this tragedy for their leadership in advocating for a way to honor the memory of those who lost their lives and continuing to fight antisemitism in all its forms.”
“As an Israeli-American, I deeply appreciate that the United States Congress is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack in which eleven Israelis were brutally murdered,” said Robert Mayer, ICAN National Board Member. “This attack was a violation of the spirit of the Olympic Games, especially the principle promoting mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, and it is important that the world never forgets so that it never happens again. Growing up in Israel, I was a member of a youth movement created in memory of Amitzur Shapira, a coach who was one of the victims. They trained us in physical conditioning and self-defense, our motto was: never again.”
“We welcome this important resolution commemorating the lives of the 11 Israelis murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics,” said the Anti-Defamation League. “ADL has long advocated for the International Olympic Committee to include a moment of silence for the Israeli victims during the Olympic opening ceremonies, and we urge the IOC to follow this resolution’s recommendation of beginning this practice starting with the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.”
Supporting groups include the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), The Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN), Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, The Anti- Defamation League (ADL), The American Jewish Committee (AJC), The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and Israeli-American Council (IAC).
The full text of the resolution is available here.
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