of many blogs on the same theme. This blogburst commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Munich Olympics Massacre.
To mark the release of Steven Spielberg's film Munich, Kesher Talk will be updating and expanding these links at our new site. Bookmark the Munich Massacre and check back for updates throughout December 2005.
At 5:00 AM, September 5th, 1972, a seminal event in the development of modern terrorism took place.
Eight Palestinian terrorists invaded the site of the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. They killed and took hostage eleven Israeli athletes competing in the Games, demanding the release of over 200 imprisoned Arabs and 2 German terrorists. Over the next few tension-filled days, all the hostages and some of the terrorists were killed, and the remaining terrorists escaped, mostly due to incompetence and perfidy of the German government. The Olympic Committee made a controversial decision to continue the Games, and has never participated in any memorial for the slai
n athletes. Eventually almost all of the remaining terrorists were hunted down and killed by Israeli agents, directed by then Prime Minister Golda Meir.
The Index of the Munich Olympic Massacre Blogburst will link you to many articles about this horrifying event of 30 years ago and its implications for the fight against terrorism today. Keep checking this site throughout September 5th, 2002, as essays get posted on each blog and they are added to this Index.
We have two scoops:
SharkBlog translates into English some recent German articles about the massacre, including part of a Reuters German article from last week. He also reviews One Day in September, the 2000 award-winning documentary on the event which is narrated by Michael Douglas.
Imshin translates into English a recent Israeli documentary about the massacre, full of new behind-the-scenes information about the negotiations, bungled rescue attempts, and German cover-up of same. I must quote this bit of interview with Dr. Georg Wolf, deputy chief of the Munich police, who blames Israel for refusing to give in to the terrorists:
“Those responsible were those conducting the wars between Israel and Palestine, the Palestinians, I mean the Arabs.”
The interviewer is then heard saying: “As a host you are responsible for your guests.”
Wolf: “Yes, but as a host I expect my guests not to start a war in my home.”
Interviewer: “The Israelis did not start the war.”
Wolf: “That does not matter.”
Euroweenies, then and now. The documentary also notes that only 8 years after Munich, "in the 1980 Moscow Olympics opening ceremony, Arafat could clearly be seen sitting in the VIP box right next to Brezhniev." (More on Arafat's connection to the massacre.)
Winds of Change begins a 2-part article on "Terror, Inc" - tracing the financing of terror groups by countries and individuals.
InContext also follows the money trail, mentions France's release of Muhammad Daoud Audeh—alias Abu Daoud—the reputed mastermind behind the massacre, and has bios of all the murdered Israeli athletes.
Facts of Israel leads off with a strong criticism of a recent NPR broadcast on the subject, then links to the excellent special report on the massacre from Sports Illustrated (which together with the report from Time Magazine are the most thorough treatments of the massacre on the web.)
DodgeBlog and DailyPundit note that reactions to Palestinian terrorism haven't changed much in 30 years.
Israpundit, a new group blog which focuses on Israel-related events, has several posts (scroll down to see all of them), including pictures of the murdered athletes and links to the vague responses of the International Olympic Committee.
Some personal reactions: OceanGuy recounts how the massacre affected him: on television as it unfolded, on a 1983 visit to Munich, and watching One Day in September. Letter From Gotham recalls how the massacre revived her Jewish identity. PhotoDude recalls the massacre from the viewpoint of a 14 year old child. Amish Tech Support abandons his usual humor to vent some spleen.
Grasshoppa gives us an ESPN interview with Israeli and American Jewish athletes on their vulnerability to terrorism, and points out that "Munich was the only the beginning of Arab targeting of Jewish civilians abroad."
BloggerRabbit tells us about the origins of the group that carried out the massacre, Black September.
Vegetative State has several posts. The first is about the Israeli hunt for and assassination of the terrorists associated with the Munich massacre, with links to in-depth treatments on the subject. The second wonders whether Israeli participation in the Olympics is worth it. (Why wouldn't participation in international sporting events be worthwhile? Read my post on how Israel has been treated in the international sports arena for the past 30 years - how long would you put up with that shit?
I added some memorable quotes with links to the news sites they came from, meanwhile Meryl is pulling memorable quotes from our contributors above.
UPDATE: Best of the Web Today, Little Green Footballs, and InstaPundit have all linked to the blogburst. Welcome to Kesher Talk, everybody, and thank Howard Fienberg for setting it up, maintaining it, and hosting several guest editors. When you've read through the Munich blogburst, feel free to go wandering through the archives - you might be interested in some of our other articles.
UPDATE (September 6th, Erev Rosh Hashanah): Several people sent in late entries to the blogburst.
HighClearing remembers seeing the live TV coverage as a 12 year old boy, and listening to the later justifications in disbelief.
I think I'm far from the only American that Munich made a lasting impression on, and to the Palestinian's detriment. Later there was Entebbe and Khartoum and Leon Klinghoffer to reinforce the impression, but it was the sheer squalid cruelty of Munich that set the tone.
WarNow and i330.org also post personal reminisences. JimSpot links to the Sports Illustrated interview with Abu Daoud. Greatest Jeneration reviews the documentary One Day in September. My gracious host, Howard Feinberg, sends me a link to this remembrance in the National Post by George Jonas, author of Vengeance. And Daimnation points out how the Arab nations participating in the Munich Olympics complained when the organizers lowered flags to half-mast after the massacre (so in a stunning bit of cravenness the organizers raised them again), and links that to an event in Bahrain just a few months ago.
Follow-up posts on the 2002 Munich Massacre blogburst:
Here
Here
Here
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