Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon released a one-minute video as part of a new campaign, titled “Just One Minute”, in which he calls on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to devote a minute of silence during the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games in remembrance of the massacre of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
In response to last week’s refusal of the IOC to formally honor the memory of the murdered athletes at this year’s Olympics, Ayalon is working to garner public support for the campaign led by the bereaved families who have been working for an official commemoration for 40 years. “The IOC should recognize the terrible tragedy that happened during the 1972 Olympic Games. The request to hold a minute of silence is reasonable and symbolizes the solidarity of the countries participating in the Olympic Games – it is undeniably the just and moral thing to do,” Ayalon said.
Ayalon’s call for a minute silence on behalf of the families has been joined by many international organizations as well as 20 British MPs and leading US Congressmen like Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The deputy minister stresses that this is not a political issue; it is the basic obligation of the Olympic community towards its athletes. Dozens of articles, organizations and politicians throughout the world in the past few days have called on the IOC to reverse its decision. “I hope that this massive support and sympathy will lead to a change in the decision,” Ayalon said, noting that this is only the first part of a concerted campaign.
Click HERE to watch this video from a mobile device.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
“Olympic Community”???
There IS no Olympic Community! There are only individual countries trying to outdo each other in athletic competitions.
There is certainly NO ‘olympic community’ that cares one iota about Jews that were murdered 40 years ago. The fact that they rejected this one minute memorial is proof of that. Trying to force it upon them with some petition is pointless.
The important thing is that WE should remember, and that WE should learn something from it.
We ARE ‘Am l’vadad yishkon’ – a nation that dwells ALONE.
OUR ‘community’ consists of us and HaKadosh Baruch Hu. The sooner we realize that, the better off we will be.
Forget it!! The people who run the olympics are cowards. Does anybody really expect a bunch of Europeans to stand up to Arabs???????? If the Europeans could be relied to to take a strong stand against terrorism, then the Munich incident would not have happened at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A truly Jewish state doesn’t have “Olympic athletes” to begin with. Ha-yadayim yedei Eisov.
Wow “Loyal Jew” you are so religious and impressive. What have you added? Hating the athletes? Their families? Their memories? You mean you cannot be Jewish and excel at athletics? Why not? Do you mean achievement generally is not something to be admired? I guess you get it — and we dont.
A truly Jewish state wouldn’t be at the Olympics in the first place, but right now we don’t have that, so they should do this. And even if we did have one, and therefore we weren’t there, they should have a minute of silence anyway, because 40 years ago the Arabs attacked the Olympics and murdered Jews, so they ought to remember them; it shouldn’t make a difference whether there are any Jews there or not.