Widow of Israeli killed at Munich Olympics says ‘the hole in my heart will never heal’

Ankie Spitzer (center), the widow of killed fencing coach Andre Spitzer, and other relatives of victims attend a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, at the Fuerstenfeldbruck Air Base, southern Germany, on September 5, 2022. (Thomas KIENZLE / AFP)
Ankie Spitzer (center), the widow of killed fencing coach Andre Spitzer, and other relatives of victims attend a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, at the Fuerstenfeldbruck Air Base, southern Germany, on September 5, 2022. (Thomas KIENZLE / AFP)

Ankie Spitzer, the widow of Andre Spitzer, one of the 11 Israelis murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics, says she will never be able to find closure over his death.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Fuerstenfeldbruck Air Base in southern Germany marking 50 years since the 1972 massacre, during which 11 Israelis and a German police officer were killed by Palestinian terrorists, Spitzer vows that she “will never stop talking about it so that it will never ever happen again.”

Spitzer says that her fight for justice “was long and lonely, but thinking of you on that fateful day 50 years ago, with your hands and feet tied at the mercy of your murderers, gave me all the motivation to continue.”

“When they murdered you they also killed a part of me,” says Spitzer. “I couldn’t find peace because justice hadn’t been done.”

Now that Germany has finally admitted to bearing some responsibility for the attack and agreed to a compensation deal, “everybody is asking now if I finally feel closure,” says Spitzer.

“They don’t understand that there will never be closure,” she says. “The hole in my heart will never ever heal.”

Most Popular
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.