David Berger National Memorial honors the memory of

David Mark Berger David Mark Berger (May 24, 1944 – September 6, 1972) was an American and Israeli Olympic weightlifter, and one of the 11 Israeli Olympians taken hostage and killed by the Palestinian group Black September during the Munich massacre at the ...

, a 28-year-old U.S.-born

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

weightlifter Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lift ...

who was one of 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian terrorists in the

Munich massacre The Munich massacre was a terrorist attack carried out during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, by eight members of the Palestinian people, Palestinian militant organization Black September Organization, Black September, who i ...

at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. The memorial is dedicated to his memory and to the memory of the ten other athletes who were killed. The black steel sculpture, a design of broken

Olympic rings The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags and symbols to elevate the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competition—such as the flame, fanfare and theme—as well as those used throughout ...

, is meant to symbolize the interruption of the Munich games by the tragic events, and the eleven segments on which the rings rest represent each athlete whose life was taken. The sculpture was fabricated by Romanian-born David E. Davis. The sculpture was installed on the front lawn of the Mayfield

Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social clubs, social, and Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish ...

at 3505 Mayfield Road in

Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs. The city's population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. As of the 2010 census, Cleveland Heights was ranked the 8th larges ...

in 1975. The

national memorial National memorial or National Memorial may refer to: * National Memorial (Thailand) * National memorial (United States) *National Martyrs' Memorial, in Bangladesh * National Memorial of the Republic of Belarus See also *Memorial (disambiguation) ...

designation was authorized on March 5, 1980. Because of the demolition of the Mayfield Center in 2005, the memorial was moved to the Mandel Jewish Community Center at 26001 South Woodland Road in

Beachwood, Ohio Beachwood is a city in eastern Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and a suburb of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census the city's population was 14,040. History The land that eventually became Beachwood was originally part of the Connecticut We ...

.Stratton, Ted S
"Memorial move in the works"
''Cleveland Jewish News''. July 21, 2005. Although formally under the authority of

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Cuyahoga Valley National Park is an American national park that preserves and reclaims the rural landscape along the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland in Northeast Ohio. The park is administered by the National Park Service, but within ...

, maintenance of the memorial is handled by the community center.

References

External links

* Official NPS website
David Berger National Memorial

David Mark Berger website
{{authority control Beachwood, Ohio Jewish-American history Monuments and memorials in Ohio National Memorials of the United States Outdoor sculptures in Ohio Protected areas established in 1980 National Park Service areas in Ohio Steel sculptures in Ohio 1975 sculptures 1980 establishments in Ohio Berger, David Cuyahoga Valley National Park Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio