Eliezer Halfin
Encyclopedia
Eliezer Halfin was a wrestler for the Israel
i Olympic team at the 1972 Summer Olympics
in Munich
, Germany
. Along with 10 other athletes and coaches he was taken hostage by Palestinian Black September
terrorists. Eventually they were brought to a German airport and during an attempted rescue mission staged by the German police all the hostages died.
Eliezer was a mechanic by profession and was born in Riga
, USSR. He came to Israel
in 1969 and officially became a citizen 7 months prior to his death. He left his parents and a sister.
Eliezer was a lightweight wrestler and was active for 11 years. In Israel he was a member of Hapoel Tel Aviv club. He won 12th place in the world championships. During 1971 he placed second place in the international competition in Bucharest, Romania. In 1972 in Greece he placed 3rd. Participating in the 20th Olympic Games was the highlight of his career and his dream.
Eliezer is buried in Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Olympic team at the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Along with 10 other athletes and coaches he was taken hostage by Palestinian Black September
Black September (group)
The Black September Organization was a Palestinian paramilitary group, founded in 1970. It was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of eleven Israeli athletes and officials, and fatal shooting of a West German policeman, during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, their most publicized event...
terrorists. Eventually they were brought to a German airport and during an attempted rescue mission staged by the German police all the hostages died.
Eliezer was a mechanic by profession and was born in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, USSR. He came to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1969 and officially became a citizen 7 months prior to his death. He left his parents and a sister.
Eliezer was a lightweight wrestler and was active for 11 years. In Israel he was a member of Hapoel Tel Aviv club. He won 12th place in the world championships. During 1971 he placed second place in the international competition in Bucharest, Romania. In 1972 in Greece he placed 3rd. Participating in the 20th Olympic Games was the highlight of his career and his dream.
Eliezer is buried in Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.