Twelve Months – Twelve Names:

April: YOSSEF GUTFREUND

The terrorist attack during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich will be commemorated for the 50th time in 2022. In memory of the twelve people killed, institutions from Munich and Fürstenfeldbruck are dedicating each month to one victim, his life and fate.

The Jewish Museum Munich, in cooperation with the Deutsches Theater, is remembering the murdered sportsman Yossef Gutfreund with a video installation. The father of two daughters and survivor of the Shoah had worked as an Olympic wrestling competition judge since the 1964 Tokyo Games. Together with other members of the Israeli Olympic delegation he attended a performance of the musical “Anatevka” at the Deutsches Theater at the invitation of the leading actor Shmuel Rodensky. Just a few hours later he held back the terrorists of the 1972 Munich Massacre, enabling a colleague of his to escape. The video installation in the open-air area at the Deutsches Theater, presenting Yossef Gutfreund, his life and love for his family and sport, as well as his fate, has been created by art / beats.

Commemoration Project
Twelve Months – Twelve Names
50 Years Olympic Massacre Munich

To mark the 50^th anniversary of the Summer Olympics in Munich, the Munich Massacre of September 5–6 , 1972 is to be commemorated throughout 2022. Every month one victim will be at the focus of attention. A variety of different actions in public spaces is planned, ranging from installations lasting the entire month to activities on one specific day.

This commemoration project has been conceived and coordinated by the Jewish Museum Munich in conjunction with the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism and the Consulate General of the State of Israel.

It will be implemented with cooperation partners including the Amerikahaus Munich, the Landkreis Fürstenfeldbruck, the Deutsches Theater, the Police College –  Hochschule für den öffentlichen Dienst in Bayern – Fachbereich Polizei, and the Munich Police Headquarters, as well as other cultural and educational institutions and interested parties.

The Jewish Museum Munich is also accompanying the commemoration project on its blog and its social media channels under the hashtag #MunichMassacre72