Congregation Beth Israel to Show One Day in September, Award-Winning Film About the Murder of Israeli Athletes at the 1972 Olympics

Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains will show the film, One Day in September, on Saturday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m.  The documentary examines what happened when 11 Israeli athletes were murdered 40 years ago at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.  The film screening is sponsored by the Israel Support Committee of Congregation Beth Israel, Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael, Temple Beth-El/Mekor Chayim, Temple Beth O’r Beth Torah, Temple Emanu-El and Temple Sholom. The event is open to the community; light refreshments will be served.

One Day in September, narrated by Michael Douglas, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2000.  The film weaves together the actual television footage from the time, with interviews of the athletes’ widows, International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials and security personnel from Germany and Israel.  The lone surviving terrorist, disguised and in hiding, gives a firsthand account of the group’s preparation and assault. 

“We are screening this film so people know what happened at the Olympics in 1972 and the significance of the IOC’s refusal to commemorate its 40th anniversary with a minute of silence.” said Conrad Nadell, Israel Support Committee Chair. “We want to keep the memory of those slain athletes alive, and to understand more about what happened on that tragic day,” Nadell said. 

Congregation Beth Israel is located at 18 Shalom Way (corner of Martine Avenue) in Scotch Plains. For more information, contact the synagogue office at (908) 889-1830 or Conrad Nadell at (908) 654-3169 or conradwho@comcast.net.  A donation of $5 is suggested for the evening.