Moshe Weinberg

Moshe Weinberg
Born (1939-09-19)September 19, 1939
Haifa, Israel
Died September 5, 1972(1972-09-05) (aged 32)
Munich, Germany
Nationality Israeli
Occupation Israeli wrestler and coach
Children 1

Moshe Weinberg (sometimes Weinberger; September 19, 1939, Haifa – September 5, 1972, Munich) was the coach of the Israeli international wrestling team as well as being the coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv. He was the Israeli youth champion in wrestling and also the adult champion for a period of 8 years. He began his career in Hapoel Haifa, later becoming a certified coach at the Wingate Institute. In his capacity as national wrestling coach, he was sent to the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich. He was among eleven Israeli team members who were killed by Palestinian terrorists in the Munich massacre.

Death

In the early morning hours of September 5, 1972, eight members of Black September entered the Olympic Village, Munich and broke into apartment 1 at Connolystrasse 31, which housed five coaches and two referees of the Israeli Olympic team. As the terrorists broke into the apartment, Weinberg was confronted by the leader Luttif Afif in a nearby bedroom. The wrestling coach picked up a nearby fruit knife and was shot through his cheek after slashing at the leader, slicing his left breast pocket open but not penetrating the terrorist leader's body.[1]

The wounded Weinberg was ordered by the terrorists at gunpoint to show them where the Israelis were. Weinberg led the terrorists past Apartment 2, which housed the fencers, shooters and track athletes, and instead took them to Apartment 3, which housed Israel's weightlifters and wrestlers.[2] However, taken by surprise, the six athletes of Apartment 3 were captured by the terrorists. While the hostages were being marched back to the officials' apartment, Weinberg once again attacked the intruders, knocking one of them, Mohammed Safady, unconscious and allowing one of his wrestlers, Gad Tsobari, to escape via an underground parking garage.[3] The terrorists fatally shot Weinberg with automatic weapons, then threw his body out into the street in order to demonstrate their resolve. In moving the hostages to the coaches' apartment, the terrorists killed weightlifter Yossef Romano after he attempted to resist the terrorists. The nine remaining hostages were also subsequently killed in what became known as the Munich massacre.

Weinberg's son, Guri Weinberg, an Israeli actor, portrayed his father in the 2005 movie Munich. Guri is married to actress Tammy Lauren.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Reeve, Simon (2000). One day in September : the full story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and the Israeli revenge operation "Wrath of God" (1st U.S. ed. ed.). New York: Arcade. p. 5. ISBN 1559705477.
  2. ↑ Reeve, Simon (2000). One day in September : the full story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and the Israeli revenge operation "Wrath of God" (1st U.S. ed. ed.). New York: Arcade. p. 6. ISBN 1559705477.
  3. ↑ Reeve, Simon (2000). One day in September : the full story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and the Israeli revenge operation "Wrath of God" (1st U.S. ed. ed.). New York: Arcade. p. 8. ISBN 1559705477.
  4. ↑ Weinberg, Guri. "Biography". IMDB. Retrieved 2 March 2017.


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