Rio Games to honor 11 Israeli athletes killed in Munich
Brazilian and Israeli officials will lead a ceremony at this summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro honoring the 11 Israelis murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Games in 1972.
The widows of weightlifter Yossef Romano, who was kidnapped, castrated and killed by the terrorists, and Andre Spitzer, a fencing coach, will light 11 candles in the Aug. 14 ceremony at Rio’s city hall, according to the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper.
Officials from the Israeli Olympic Committee and the Israeli consulate will lead the commemoration.
“As Brazilian, Jewish and Zionist, we are deeply moved by the International Olympic Committee initiative,” said Osias Wurman, Israel’s honorary consul in Rio.
The IOC already had announced a special area in the Olympic Village in Rio to commemorate the memory of Olympians who have died, including the Israeli athletes and coaches. In addition, a “moment of reflection” in honor of all dead Olympians will be held during the closing ceremony.
“There will be no minute of silence at the opening ceremony,” read an IOC note, frustrating a longtime request of families. “We will dedicate a moment during the closure ceremony to allow everyone at the stadium and everyone watching at home to remember their loved ones that have passed away.”
Twenty Israeli athletes have qualified so far for the Rio Games, set for Aug. 5-21 in Rio. — jta
Athens mayor inks AJC’s declaration on anti-Semitism
The mayor of Athens signed a declaration against anti-Semitism, joining 60 other European mayors who have inked the American Jewish Committee’s initiative.
“I chose to sign because it is my conviction that the first value in civilized society is human dignity,” Mayor Giorgos Kaminis said at a ceremony last week with a nine-member visiting AJC delegation in the Greek capital.
Along with the European mayors, the AJC’s Mayors United Against Anti-Semitism campaign has garnered signatures from more than 300 U.S. mayors.
Athens has experienced several anti-Semitic incidents in the last year, including the vandalism of the city’s Jewish cemetery and Holocaust memorials.
A recent Anti-Defamation League survey showed that Greece has Europe’s highest rate of anti-Semitic attitudes, with 69 percent of Greeks espousing anti-Semitic views. That is nearly twice the rate of the next-highest country, France, with 37 percent. — jta
Latin American, Caribbean reps condemn BDS
Legislators from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries have signed a resolution to encourage their governments to increase efforts to strengthen ties with Israel and condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, movement.
The lawmakers met last week in Miami for the Israel Allies Foundation’s second annual Latin America Summit on Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported. The foundation works with parliaments around the world to mobilize political support for Israel based on Judeo-Christian values.
The signatories “unequivocally declare, personally, our support for the Jewish people to live in peace, safety and security in the land of Israel,” read the Spanish-language resolution. “Strong relations between the Western Hemisphere and Israel are crucial to the spread of freedom, democracy and justice around the world.
Latin America is home to some 500,000 Jews. Argentina has the region’s largest Jewish population, about 230,000 people, followed by Brazil at 120,000. — jta
Boycott stickers pop up on Israeli goods in Canada
Stickers advising consumers not to purchase products made in Israel are popping up across Canada.
Facebook posts show the stickers on Sabra hummus, Keter and SodaStream products, Glutino biscuits, dates and tangerines at grocers, and at hardware stores in Montreal, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Brampton, Ontario, and other locales in British Columbia.
“Warning!” the stickers state. “Do not buy this product. Made in Israel: A country violating international law, the 4th Geneva Convention, and fundamental human rights…#BDS.”
The labels are being distributed free by the Montreal-based Canadians for Justice & Peace in the Middle East, or CJPME, which launched the sticker campaign after the House of Commons voted last month to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel.
In recent weeks, the stickers have been affixed to bottles of Israeli wine in Vancouver and to grocery products in Calgary. Affected companies removed them. — jta