[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING A MOMENT OF SILENCE DURING THE 2012 OLYMPIC OPENING DAY TO 
            COMMEMORATE THOSE KILLED IN THE MUNICH MASSACRE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 25, 2012

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Amb. Ido Aharoni, 
Consul General of Israel in New York, who will meet with New York 
City's Jewish and other community leaders and elected officials on 
Friday morning to honor the 11 Israeli Olympians who were killed by a 
terrorist group during the 1972 Munich games.
  As the new Olympians march in the opening ceremonies of the 2012 
games, these community groups and elected leaders will gather together 
for their own minute of silence, hearing the firsthand account of 1972 
Israeli Olympian Avi Melamed. The Munich Massacre, as it has come to be 
known, occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in 
southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were 
taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian terrorist group 
Black September. Eleven Israeli athletes and coaches and a West German 
police officer were killed.
  On this 40th anniversary of the horrendous act of terror, we are not 
only reminded of the importance of our special relationship with Israel 
but also of the existence of evil in this world.
  Recently, we witnessed another terrorist attack on an Israeli tour 
bus in Bulgaria that left at least 7 dead and more than 20 wounded. 
These kinds of attacks against innocent people are horrifying and 
reprehensible. Such violence targeting people for their ethnicity, 
nationality or religion has absolutely no place in our world.
  Whenever and wherever we witness the taking of innocent lives for 
whatever reason, the voices of the concerned people must be heard. 
While terrorist attacks on the people of Israel were once viewed as a 
regional problem, today we know that the entire world is no longer safe 
from the warped minds of those who have no regard for the lives of 
children and people who do no harm. We must fight against those who 
choose to recklessly use the fear of terrorism against innocent victims 
to achieve their own evil political objectives. We must remain vigilant 
and outspoken.
  So I join the New York community this Friday as we come together to 
condemn such acts of terrorism and to commemorate the 40th anniversary 
of the massacre in Munich. Whether or not the International Olympic 
Committee agrees to pay tribute to the fallen, we will observe a moment 
of silence to pray for the victims and their loved ones.

                          ____________________