NEW ORLEANS – In the summer of 1972, Munich hosted the Olympic Games. West Germany labored to project a peaceful image, to serve as a contrast to the Berlin Olympic Games during Hitler’s regime. Instead, with competition underway, eight members of a Palestinian group called Black September, breached Olympic Village, setting off the first hostage crisis ever broadcast to the world on live television.
In all, 11 members of Israel’s Olympic team were murdered in the Munich Massacre, an event that shocked the world and alerted nations to the threat of terrorism. Fifty years later, on Sept. 5, 2022, Germany officially apologized for the lack of security, the failed rescue attempt and the concealment of security records of the event.
This May, historian, professor and Acadian Museum founder Warren Perrin revisits the events of the Munich Olympics and its aftermath in The Weight of History, the Power of Apology–Remembering Lifter David Berger 50 Years After The Munich Olympics, a new book from Andrepont Publishing. The official launch takes place May 24 at 6 p.m. at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, with a multimedia presentation by the author, the first in a series of lectures across the U.S. (details below).
The book, set in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, follows the story of Jewish-American weightlifter David Berger, 28, of Shaker Heights, OH, one of the Olympians who resisted captors but died after the botched rescue by German police. It builds upon Warren Perrin’s previous books on the Acadian people and the tradition of Louisiana weightlifting and explores the local, state and international impact of the Munich Massacre, embracing the issues of ethnic identity and moral responsibility with life lessons for modern times.
According to Andrew Perrin, chairman of the executive committee of the Acadian Museum, “The 50th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics, often referred to as the ‘Olympics of Terror,’ is the perfect time for Warren Perrin to pen this fascinating account of confronting evil in several forms using the background of a trio of Olympic weightlifters. This book aggressively confronts the topic of ‘Repairing Historical Wrongs.’ The author, a Cajun, explores his own experiences in helping to build a sports dynasty at the University of Louisiana and learning lessons to confront ethnic cleansing with those of two fellow lifters with very different backgrounds—Japanese-American and Jewish. Perrin writes poignantly about the one friend, David Berger, who achieved his dream of competing in the Olympics and was brutally murdered shortly thereafter.”
Award-winning author Warren Perrin is a Louisiana-based attorney, law school adjunct professor, author of 12 books and Cajun activist known for his work internationally preserving and promoting the history and culture of Acadian/Cajun people, particularly their forced expulsion from Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada) in the 18th century. His previous books include Acadian Redemption: From Beausoleil Broussard to the Queen’s Royal Proclamation, which chronicles the history of Acadians and the transplantation of their people and culture to Louisiana.
Zachary G. Stein, Ed.D., head of special collections at the University of Louisiana Lafayette’s Edith Garland Dupré Library adds, “Mr. Perrin’s book is haunting, perceptive, and ultimately hopeful. By weaving together the stories of three weightlifters from very different backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions, he successfully presents how diversity and inclusion bring us together to overcome challenges and dismantle hatred and bigotry. Mr. Perrin ingeniously shows how a simple sport such as weightlifting helped these men discover themselves in this complex world and soar higher than they could have possibly imagined.”
The Weight of History, the Power of Apology–Remembering Lifter David Berger 50 Years After The Munich Olympics is part of Warren Perrin’s life work preserving historical events and cultures through research, publishing and unprecedented legal actions seeking justice for individuals. He has received an honorary doctorate degree from Canada’s Université
Sainte-Anne as well as the Legion of Honor from the Republic of France for his significant contributions to arts and literature.
UPCOMING BOOK TOUR EVENTS
- May 25 – The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience / 6 p.m. (818 Howard Ave, New Orleans, LA)
- June 2 – J. Arthur Roy House at University of Louisiana at Lafayette / 12:30 p.m. (1204 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA)
- June 8 – U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum / Zoom at 1:00 MDT (200 S Sierra Madre St, Colorado Springs, CO)
- June 21 – Jean Lafitte Visitor Center /10 a.m. (419 Decatur St., New Orleans, LA)
- June 22 – Westside Regional Library / 6 p.m. (5416 Provine Place, Alexandria, LA)
- July 23 – St. John the Baptist Catholic Church / 1 p.m. (402 South Kirkland Drive, Brusly, LA)
- July 28 – Acadian Memorial and Museum / 4 p.m. (21 S New Market St, St Martinville, LA)
- Oct. 10 – Shaker Heights Main Library / 7p.m. (16500 Van Aken Blvd, Shaker Heights, OH)
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