Jewish Blood Is Cheap
Deborah Lipstadt's provocative article about why the Olympic Committee refuses to observe a minute of silence in memory of those Israeli athletes murdered at Munich's 1972 games. She concludes:
I have long inveighed against the tendency of some Jews to see anti-Semitism behind every action that is critical of Israel or of Jews. In recent years some Jews have been inclined to hurl accusations of anti-Semitism even when they are entirely inappropriate. By repeatedly crying out, they risk making others stop listening—especially when the cry is true.
Here the charge is absolutely accurate. This was the greatest tragedy to ever occur during the Olympic Games. Yet the IOC has made it quite clear that these victims are not worth 60 seconds. Imagine for a moment that these athletes had been from the United States, Canada, Australia, or even Germany. No one would think twice about commemorating them. But these athletes came from a country and a people who somehow deserve to be victims. Their lost lives are apparently not worth a minute.I can find no other reason than what Lipstadt suggests. There is nothing political about remembering those who were murdered in cold blood. The Olympics are indeed supposed to be about world solidarity. They are supposed to be above politics. They are supposed to be about the love of sport. Terrorism and murder once marred these very competitions. The only response is to stand in solidarity and remember. All must stand against such acts of terror.