Topic: News: David Berger Montreal Olympic Memorial Restored

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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David Berger Montreal Olympic Memorial Restored

Dr. Ben Berger drives by the sculpture dedicated to his son almost every day.

"I just like to see it,” says the father of David Berger, one of 11 Israeli athletes initially held hostage and then murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The David Berger National Memorial, which sits on a grassy expanse near the Jewish Community Center's South Woodland entrance, was installed Aug. 22 and will be rededicated in a public outdoor ceremony Sept. 10. The 13-foot steel sculpture, representing the traditional Olympic rings broken by the Munich tragedy, was originally dedicated in 1975 and stood outside the Mayfield Jewish Community Center in Cleveland Heights.

Dr. Berger is happy his son's memorial will remain with the JCC. The monument is currently surrounded by lush foliage and will eventually be surrounded by a cement walk and a circular planting of shrubs.

"The setting is ideal,” Berger told the CJN in a phone interview Monday. "There's a certain serenity with the surroundings. It's a beautiful place.”  

Berger's wife Dorothy is similarly pleased with the sculpture's location. "There's so much activity there” at the JCC, she remarks. "As tragic as (the Munich attack) was, the Olympians will be remembered.”

David's father will speak at the Sept. 10 ceremony. Dorothy Berger will also be at the event, along with the couple's two children, Barbara and Fred, and their grandchildren, one of whom is named after David.

Their son's memorial was moved from the grounds of the Mayfield JCC after that facility was closed in 2005. The sculpture, created by (the late) Cleveland artist David E. Davis, was then restored at McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory in Oberlin. While in storage, the sculpture was cleaned of all existing corrosion, and an application of corrosion inhibitor was applied.

The cost of moving, restoring, installing and landscaping the outdoor sculpture was about $80,000. Funding for the project was provided by a number of sources including the Berger family, the Bernice and David E. Davis Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, and the Righteous Persons Foundation.

Visitors to the JCC will be able to view the monument upon entering the campus. "We wanted to put it in a visible and easily accessible spot,” notes JCC executive director Michael Hyman. "We're thrilled to bring the sculpture to the JCC, the home of the Jewish community.”  

David Berger grew up in Shaker Heights and was a competitive weightlifter in high school and college. He earned a juris doctorate from Columbia University before making aliyah to Israel. David was known as a pacifist, writing poetry protesting the Vietnam War. Family members have also described him in past CJN articles as witty and more than a bit rebellious.

Berger competed in the 1972 Olympics as part of Israel's weightlifting team. The 11 slain athletes were staying in Olympic Village in Munich when members of a Palestinian terrorist organization called Black September climbed an unguarded fence and stormed the dormitory where the Israeli delegation was sleeping. The terrorists threatened to murder the Israelis unless Israel released Arab prisoners from its jails.

The drama ended at Fuerstenfeldbruck airfield when German authorities botched a rescue attempt as the terrorists and their hostages were boarding airplanes. David Berger and his teammates were killed in the ensuing firefight, along with five of the eight terrorists. Berger was 28.

Dr. Berger looks forward to the rededication ceremony, where once again his son's memorial will be on view to the public. He sees the sculpture as a reminder not just of David, but of the importance of the Olympics in promoting the spirit of peace throughout the world.

The monument's idyllic setting will further promote that sense of tranquility, notes Berger. "There's no other place we would want it to be.”

Rededication of the David Berger National Memorial takes place Sun., Sept. 10, 10:30 a.m. at the JCC. Call 216-831-0700 for more information.