The Munich Massacre September 5th 1972

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The Munich Massacre Watch the Video

New Vocabulary הלכו לכיוון headed טבח massacre אורחי החדר occupants of apartment בני ערובה hostages הוזעקו been alerted זעם wrath שוחררו were released צלפים snipers דרישות demands גדר fence נעצרו taken into custody נקמה a retaliation requested

The Munich Massacre The Munich Massacre was a terrorist attack during the 1972 Olympic Games. Eight Palestinian terrorists killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team and then took nine others hostage. The situation was ended by a huge gunfight that left five of the terrorists and all of the nine hostages dead. Following the massacre, the Israeli government organized a retaliation against Black September, called Operation Wrath of God.

The 20th Olympic games were held in Munich, Germany in 1972 The 20th Olympic games were held in Munich, Germany in 1972. Tensions were high at these Olympics, because they were the first Olympic Games held in Germany since the Nazis hosted the Games in 1936. The Israeli athletes and their trainers were especially nervous; many had family members who had been murdered during the  or were themselves Holocaust survivors.

The first few days of the Olympic Games went smoothly The first few days of the Olympic Games went smoothly. On September 4, the Israeli team spent the evening out to see the play, Fiddler on the Roof, and then went back to the Olympic Village to sleep. A little after 4 a.m. on September 5, as the Israeli athletes slept, eight members of the Palestinian terrorist organization, Black September, jumped over the six-foot high fence that encircled the Olympic Village.

The terrorists headed straight for 31 Connolly Strasse, the building where the Israeli contingent was staying. Around 4:30 a.m., the terrorists entered the building. Several of the Israelis fought back; two of them were killed. A couple of others were able to escape out windows. Nine were taken hostage.

By 5:10 a.m., the police had been alerted and news of the attack had begun to spread around the world. The terrorists then dropped a list of their demands out the window; they wanted 234 prisoners released from Israeli prisons and two from German prisons by 9 a.m. Around 10:30 p.m., the terrorists and hostages were transported to the Fürstenfeldbruck Airport by helicopter.

The Germans had decided to confront the terrorists at the airport and had snipers waiting for them. Once on the ground, the terrorists realized there was a trap. Snipers started shooting at them and they shot back. Two terrorists and one policeman were killed. Three terrorists survived the attack and were taken into custody. Nine Israeli hostages were killed during the attack.

The Minute of Silence

Your Task 1.Read the article again and watch the video. 2. Open a word file and write a short paragraph about the Munich massacre using the information from the article. 3.Write three questions you would like to ask one of the survivors. 4. Print and hand it in or send your work on the teacher’s mail /mashov.