Relatives of 11 Israelis Won’t Attend Ceremony
Relatives of the 11 Israeli athletes and officials killed in the Munich Olympics massacre won’t attend a 30th anniversary memorial ceremony in Germany today, the eve of the Jewish New Year.
“We’re all single-parent families now,” said Ankie Spitzer, widow of fencer Andrei Spitzer. “We need to be here with our children.”
The ceremony is to be held at the military airfield near Munich where on Sept. 5, 1972, German police launched their botched attempt to free the hostages. The Israelis, a German policeman and five Palestinian terrorists were killed.
German Interior Minister Otto Schily, Israeli Ambassador Shimon Stein and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, plan to attend.
In Luxembourg on Thursday, Israeli soccer players observed a minute of silence before an exhibition game, won by Israel, 5-0.
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