September 26, 2011
N.Y. JCC unveils memorial to murdered Israeli Olympians
JCC Rockland has unveiled a sculpture honoring the Munich 11
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Israeli apartment in Munich, where the athletes were held hostage during the Munich massacre. Photo by ProhibitOnions/Wikipedia
A Jewish community center in suburban New York unveiled a sculpture honoring the Israelis who were killed by terrorists at the1972 Munich Olympics.
The sculpture unveiled Sunday at the JCC Rockland in West Nyack, N.Y., features 11 segments to represent the athletes and coaches who were killed, as well as an Olympic torch in stainless steel. The “Munich 11 Memorial,” as the installation designed by local artist Eric David Laxman is titled, is believed to be the only sculpture in the United States to honor all of the Munich 11.
Its unveiling corresponded with the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the attack in Germany. Among the speakers at the JCC event were the father and sister of David Berger, one of the murdered athletes.
David Kirschtel, CEO of JCC Rockland, said the sculpture is a permanent memorial to men who should be honored.
“Each day, as people enter our campus, they will see this powerful work of art and be reminded that the human spirit must triumph over evil,” he said.
The unveiling was part of the lead-up to the 2012 JCC Maccabi Games, a sporting competition for Jewish teens being hosted by the JCC next summer.
