A huge crowd gathers to hear the closing ceremonies last Sunday at the Maple Drake JCC.
Games Close Amid Tears, Memories
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
B
asketball champion
Lauren Goldstine of
Los Angeles stood
under the scorching sun
before an estimated
8,000-person crowd on Sun-
day and for a moment played
the role of one of the 11
Israelis who were slaugh-
tered in the 1972 Olympics
in Munich.
"My name is Amitzur
Shapiro. I love sports. I am
an athlete, but I am devoted
not to pursuing my own
fame, but to that of an-
other," she read.
"Ten years ago, I
discovered Esther
Shachamuruv, Israel's
foremost track star. I am a
native of Israel, and a
trainer in light athletics. I
am married with four chil-
dren."
Before the JCC's North
American Maccabi Youth
Games officially closed and
teary-eyed teens embraced
and waived goodbye, a few
athletes read 11 short
tributes for each of the
Israelis who were killed in
Munich by Arab terrorists.
Merrek Sakwa of Detroit,
winner of a silver and two
bronze medals in track, told
the stories of Kehat Shorr, a
sharp-shooting trainer who
helped make the Israeli rifle
team one of the 20 best in
the world. And he described
Mark Slavin, a wrestler,
who was murdered at
Munich just six months after
immigrating to Israel from
the Soviet Union.
Mr. Slavin had dreamed of
enlisting in the Israeli army.
"I was proud to be up
there," Sakwa said. "I knew it
meant something.
"These are my fourth
games and I have been
psyched for this all year," he
said. "Occasionally I would
think about the 11 athletes
and it really motivated me. I
feel like a part of them."
Inside and outside, the
Maple-Drake Jewish Com-
munity Center was jammed
on Sunday, where the
Detroit Jewish community
Lauren Goldstine
reads at Sunday's
memorial for the
Israeli Olympic
athletes murdered
by terrorists in
Munich.
Detroit
Maccabi
delegation
bids farewell
to the
over 2,000
athletes
from around
the world
who
participated.
■
bid farewell to the 71 delega-
tions participating in the
games.
Before the ceremony,
youngsters made last-ditch
efforts to trade pins,
uniforms, T-shirts, shorts
and other items to take
home as souvenirs.
It was a good week for Josh
Isaacson of Philadelphia,
who quickly learned the art
of the deal.
He came to Detroit with
two soccer jerseys, a team
sweat suit, two shirts from
the Philadelphia Maccabi
games and a team T-shirt.
He left with a Pistons "Bad
Boy" shirt, two soccer shirts
from Washington, D.C.,
shorts and a T-shirt from
D.C., and the last of Boston
soccer player Jon Bank's
Nick West of
Great Britain also
reads at the
memorial, part of
the Maccabi
Games closing
ceremonies.
belongings.
"You drive a hard
bargain," Bank said to
Isaacson as they made their
final trade: Isaacson's
Philadelphia team warm up
jacket for a piece of Bank's
soccer uniform, a Champion
sweat shirt, an L.A. T-shirt
and a Pittsburgh shirt.
They shook hands.
"It was a very good deal,"
Isaacson said. "I didn't win,
but I am going home with a
bundle."
After deals were closed in-
side, the athletes, host
families and other guests
departed for Sachse Field for
the memorial service led by
Rabbi Sherman Kirshner.
Acting emcee for the
ceremony was radio per-
sonality Jim Berk. And on
the platform were several
key Maccabi leaders, in-
cluding JCC President Lin-
da Lee, Games Chairman
Jay Robinson, Chair of the
Maccabiah Organizing
Committee from Israel, Arie
Rosenzweig and several
Detroit Maccabi Club mem-
bers.
"Now it is on to Baltimore
in 1992," Mr. Berk said.
Games Chairman Mr.
Robinson handed a torch to
representatives from
Baltimore, who will host the
1992 Maccabi Games.
"Keep the flame alive,"
Mr. Robinson said.
❑
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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