Substantial Silence

Members of Congress failed to agree on whether the
moment of silence should honor only the 11Israeli
athletes or all six million victims of the Holocaust

By Ariadna Theokopoulos

The controversy over the refusal of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to hold a moment of silence to honor the memory of the 11 Israeli athletes killed in a terrorist attack at the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 continues.

 According to  Rep. Engel (D-NY), members of the U.S. House of Representatives have decided to give one-minute speeches followed by a substantial moment of silence on Thursday, after which Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) will lead a group of lawmakers to the Capitol grounds for another moment of silence."

There was considerable debate among lawmakers about the definition as well as the difference between a "moment" and  a "substantial " moment, with some arguing that if a moment of silence is usually 15 seconds, a substantial one must at least twice as much.  Some also argued that each Israeli athlete deserved one moment, therefore a moment of silence for all amounted to 15 seconds times 11 and a substantial moment 15 seconds times 11. With many representatives wishing to leave early for the weekend a suggestion was made to resolve to hold the tribute of silence individually, even better with their families, at home.

The most debated suggestion was that to take the opportunity to honor the memory of the 6 million Holocaust victims, many of whom undoubtedly had been athletes or aspiring athletes who never got to realize their dreams of Olympic (or other) gold. Nevertheless this meritorious suggestion got bogged down in arithmetic and the question of whether 6 million should be multiplied by 20 or 30 seconds, i.e., simple or substantial moment, and how long of a recess was necessary to accomplish the task. The Constitutional question arose as to whether a congressional recess of many years' duration would be legal and feasible and whether benefits like health insurance and pensions might be affected. How would the American people react to the announcement of Congress entering such a long recess? Some members feared that the voters might embrace the proposal too enthusiastically and strongly urged to keep this entire part of the debate off the record.

Debates resumed on the central topic of how to increase world vigilance " against prejudice, hate and intolerance" — which was the idea in holding a tribute at the Olympics in the memory of the 11 Israeli athletes, the only people fallen victims of terrorism, or the only jewish victims, which is the same thing.

The representatives noted President Obama's support for the call the IOC rejected, and praised presidential candidate Romney, who in an indirect hint to Obama's inadequate call, suggested that the moment of silence should properly be followed by playing the Israeli anthem.

Overall, the controversy served to underline the unstinting commitment of the US Congress to honoring the memory of Jewish victims of terrorism and its determination, in the words of Rep. Deutch (D-FL) "to unite against terrorism."

Let us all resolve to keep a moment of substantial silence regarding jewish victims of terrorism.

Posted by Richard Edmondson at 7/27/2012 10:52 AM

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  

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