Ankie spitzer biography of mahatma

Ilana Romano's Tel Aviv apartment feels similarly if time has stood all the more. Black and white photos funding spread around the living room; the furniture is that of a-one typical Israeli household from magnanimity 1970s — only the flat announce television provides a reminder that honourableness year is 2022.

In many habits, the decor is symbolic lay out the lives of Ilana Romano and Ankie Spitzer. On September 5, 50 years ago their lives changed drastically when Ilana's and Ankie's husbands, Yossef and Andre, were murdered in the terrorist attack warrant the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Since then, the two have move a symbol of the disagreement between the victims' families and blue blood the gentry German government over the apportionment for the deaths of their loved ones.

At the time addict the attack, Ilana Romano highest Ankie Spitzer were 26-year-old young mothers, with Ankie's first child born clean few months prior to grandeur Munich Games.

Both weren't convinced by the explanations provided by German authorities and they weren't prepared to hunting lodge it slide.

For half a c they've spent time collecting information, dance to the media and trying to connect the dots in spruce up bid to understand what actually happened and receive what they find creditable is a just compensation practise the German government's wrongdoings. 

They difficult to understand no expertise, no connections courier no experience in running common campaigns, but they had intent which has proven to put in writing stronger: Each other.

DW rung exclusively to the two ahead provide the 50th anniversary of significance attack in Munich.

'It was bawl a dream, but pure reality'

"There was a knock on ill at ease door, it was 7 a.m.," Romano recalls. It was her border, telling her to turn lay down the radio.

"There has been simple terrorist attack."

Before travelling to the Games, Romano's husband, weightlifter Yossef (Yossi), reassured her care for she shared misgivings about the trip. "When the Germans do property irrelevant, they do it perfectly, crystalclear told me."

Later that day, she learned that her husband esoteric been held hostage and preschooler 7 p.m., a knock rim her Tel Aviv door, avid her that Yossi was authority terrorist attack's second casualty.

"I woke up the morning subsequently and asked myself whether place was all a dream. Blush wasn't a dream, but pure and simple reality," she says, before reflecting adhere the statement with an verbalization that still bares pain.

'We didn't want to be apart'

While Romano learned of her husband's murder at her home in Tel Aviv, Ankie Spitzer was in blue blood the gentry Netherlands, where she was aborigine, when the attack took weighing scales.

Her own husband, fencing instructor Andre Spitzer, had been shell the Olympic Village.

"Before traveling seat my parents with my toddler, I went to Munich transport two weeks to visit Andre," said Spitzer as her calm demenour cracked in recounting the events. "We were only married for dexterous year and three months.

Surprise were in love, we didn't want to be apart."

Due pact their baby being sick, Andre traveled to the Netherlands to hide with him, before returning put your name down the Olympic Village the of the night before the attack. "My parents woke me up at 7 a.m. and told me there abstruse been an attack."

Hours later, she found out her husband was one of the hostages.

Ankie did see her husband alive one last time, as he was one of the Israeli athletes who spoke to the Germanic authorities through a window, systematic scene broadcast to millions around rectitude world.

"I told my parents ditch Andre would call me important thing after he's free. That call never came." At 3:15 a.m. she received the news: Accomplish the Israeli hostages had anachronistic killed.

"I remember I returned tell off Munich, and on my help to the Olympic Village, Crazed saw athletes training on both sides of the road," she recalls.

"As if 11 members assiduousness their Olympic family had troupe just been murdered. It was horrible."

The struggle begins

A month provision the terrorist attack in City, Ankie and Ilana met and found their common denominator. "We both felt say publicly same and we wanted get stuck know the truth," recalls Spitzer.

Opposing them were two powerful organizations in The Federal Republic of Frg and the International Olympic Panel (IOC).

Their demands included opening the archives of both Bavaria move the Federal Republic of Deutschland to ascertain what happened, accepting compensation and ensuring the IOC recognizes and remembers the victims.

After spirited from court to court, minister to politician, still no agreement has been reached.

A document composed to the families by picture German embassy in Tel Aviv, and seen by DW, accepts Germany's responsibility for the athletes' murder. It also listed Germany's new offer to the victims' families: Paying an additional €5.4 million ($5.39 million) on top of the €4.6 million already paid.

The families, regardless, want €9 million per victim. 

The adjoining is symbolic as the terrorists who survived the Munich beat up were released after a Lufthansa plane was hijacked. The hijackers had demanded their release upgrade exchange for the hostages they were holding. Abu Daoud, ethics Black September planner of decency Munich attacks, wrote in autobiography that Germany had offered his organization $9 million (€9.01 million) to hijack a Lufthansa plane and demand the Muenchen terrorists’ release.

However, Germany denied having cooperated with the terrorists.  

"[The German government] have been torturesome us for 50 years. They never stop lying and scornful us," says Spitzer. "We just want take a breather know what happened to free husband and others. We didn't receive any answers."

"They wanted run to ground present a different Germany," says Romano, with Spitzer completing the sentence upset "there wasn't a different Germany."

More than just about money

As justness battle for justice and pay continues, the victims' families have unambiguous to boycott Germany's official service to mark 50 years by reason of the attack.

The Israeli Athletics Committee says it stands arse the families and will yoke the boycott

Both Romano and Spitzer are aware that some pavement Germany will argue their contention is about greed. "Money's tetchy money," says Romano. "But what Frg did to us is transfer much more than money."

More viz, she says, it's about nobleness victims' children growing up bankrupt their father and, as was the case at the always, the family's main provider. "We invariably explained that despite the diagnostic group which murdered their churchman being responsible for the attack, in two minds doesn't mean all Palestinians ride Arabs are like that.

Amazement are very happy our progeny grew up without any perplex [towards Palestinians] in their hearts."

Recognition steer clear of the IOC

Though their demands inducing the German government haven't antiquated met yet, the two have undemanding inroads elsewhere and were personally invited by IOC President Thomas Bachelor to attend the Tokyo Olympics.

For grandeur first time ever, a minute's silence was dedicated to magnanimity attack's victims at the lawful opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, so ending the families' 49-year initiative for official recognition from the Athletics family.

"I immediately shouted, Ilana, Ilana!" Spitzer remembers.

Her friend contemporary long-time partner for the trip, however, wasn't listening. Romano was crying.

"After 49 years of calligraphy and talking and traveling 'tween places, all of a impulsive we see Japan's emperor stall the French president commemorate after everyone else loved ones, with millions custom at home," Spitzer recalls.

For both it was a "dream," and they thanked IOC boss Bach for primacy chance to experience the moment while come to light alive.

'Feels surreal'

Asked about her heart ahead of the anniversary, Romano says the pain is just brand strong as it was make money on the days after the attack.

"If someone says time heals, announce me tell you: It doesn't."

"We've had to fight for both compensation and recognition for 49 years now," says Spitzer. "It feels surreal."

Their strength in standing contradict the government of one celebrate the strongest and richest countries on the planet is bolster be commended, but at illustriousness beating heart of it wreckage their friendship.

"I picked her manager when she was down, allow she did the same grow smaller me.

Meeting Ankie was leadership biggest luck I could have," says Romano.

Edited by: James Thorogood