[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: The write up of this story is odd. Where are the
words of profound apology from the German ambassador on behalf of Germany
that the ID card was stolen by a German cop and a commitment on the part of
Germany to make every effort to return the hundreds of other missing
documents?]

40 years after the Munich massacre – murdered athlete’s ID card was returned
to his family.
23 Feb 2011
DFM Danny Ayalon: The return of these documents to the families is more than
just a humane gesture; it is of historical importance.

At an emotional ceremony that took place today at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon returned Eliezer Halfin’s
Olympic competitor ID card to his sister, Ms. Rima Goldwasser. Halfin, a
wrestler, was among the eleven Israeli athletes murdered by terrorists at
the 1972 Munich Olympics. The card had been kept hidden all these years by a
German police officer and, after his death, was returned by his son, Holzer
Tilmann, to the Israel embassy in Germany. The ceremony took place in the
presence of the German ambassador to Israel, Dr. Harald Kindermann, the
Deputy Chair of the Israeli Olympic Committee, Aryeh Sieff, and relatives of
the murdered athletes: Ilana Romano, widow of Yosef Romano, and Anki Rekhes
(Shpitzer), widow of Andrei Shpitzer.

After receiving the card, Ms. Goldwasser emotionally thanked Tilmann, the
deputy foreign minister and the German ambassador for the return of the
card.

DFM Ayalon spoke at the ceremony and said:

“Even after 40 years, the memory of those murdered in Munich will not be
forgotten. That was the lowest point in the history of sport. What Holzer
Tilmann, the policeman’s son, has done is a courageous, decent act that
closes a circle. From this podium I call on the government of Germany to
make every effort to locate other documents that are perhaps being held
somewhere, because hundreds of documents are still missing. The return of
these documents to the families is more than just a humane gesture; it is of
historical importance for perpetuating the event and engraving it on the
pages of history.

“While we as a peace-loving, humane people concern ourselves with
commemorating the victims, the Palestinian leadership is busy glorifying
terrorism and the murderers. When Mohammed “Abu Daoud” Oudeh, one of the
masterminds behind the Munich Olympics massacre, died, Palestinian Authority
Chairman Abu Mazen praised his memory and heritage and called him his
wonderful brother and a courageous leader. The Palestinian leadership is
busy glorifying terrorism, thereby pushing the chances for reconciliation
further away.”

The German ambassador to Israel reinforced Ayalon’s words and spoke out
against turning terrorists into Palestinian folk heroes. He called on the
Palestinian leadership to stop glorifying terrorism. “Just as terrorism must
be combated, the sanctification of terrorism must be combated.”

Ilana Romano, Yosef Romano’s widow, spoke on behalf of the victims’
families: “Over the years, we have been collecting every possible crumb.
This is a card that Halfin held in his hand; this is a very emotional
moment. I hope more documents will be found and returned to the families.”

The deputy chair of the Israeli Olympic Committee, Aryeh Sieff, stressed the
long, so-far-unsuccessful battle to open the Olympic Games with a moment of
silence in memory of the eleven members of the Israeli delegation murdered
in Munich. DFM Ayalon promised to do everything in his power to help.