The Jewish National Fund will plant trees in the John F. Kennedy Peace Forest in Israel in tribute to the 11 Israeli Olympians. The announcement was made by Meyer Pesin, JNF national president, who said this decision was taken in response to the many Americans who have been telephoning to the JNF of fices to express their shock and grief over the killings and requesting the planting of trees.
In a statement, Pesin declared: “The 5th of September, 1972 (the day the Israeli athletes were slain), will go down in history as a crime against humanity and as a shattering reversal of the spirit of brotherhood that up until this tragic moment had prevailed at the Olympic games. The conscience of the world can no longer tolerate such barbaric and premeditated acts as were perpetrated by Arab terrorists in Munich, some weeks ago at Lod, and on so many prior occasions in Israel. May the trees to be planted on an Israel hillside forever recall these eleven athletes who had journeyed to Munich to represent their country among nations of the world in friendship and harmony.”
In a cable sent to Israel Premier Golda Meir, Pesin and Abram Salomon. JNF executive vice-president, the officers and board of directors of the JNF conveyed “our deepest sympathy to the bereaved families of the martyred sons who epitomized the noblest qualities of Israeli youth.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
