David Mark Berger (June 24, 1944 – September 6, 1972) was an American Jewish weightlifter for the Israeli Olympic team in 1972. A lawyer by profession, Berger was one of eleven members of Israel’s Olympic team who were taken hostage and subsequently murdered by Arab extremists at the Munich Olympic Games. June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Tuesday. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, with around 14 million followers (as of 2005 [1]). It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Weightlifting is a sport where competitors attempt to lift heavy weights mounted on steel bars, the execution of which is a combination of power and technique. ... For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ... One of the Black September terrorists on the balcony of the Israeli team quarters at the Olympic village The Munich massacre occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September – a group within...

Berger was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio to wealthy parents. An excellent student-athlete, he attended Tulane University from 1962 to 1966 where he was an honor student and a dedicated weightlifter. While a junior at Tulane, he won the NCAA weightlifting title in the 148-pound class. Berger earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Tulane in 1966. He earned a master's degree in business administration and a doctor of laws degree from Columbia University. Despite the intensive work that a law degree entails, Berger was able to find time to devote to weightlifting, competing as a light-heavyweight. His father, Benjamin, was once quoted as saying, “I used to tell him ‘You may not be the best weightlifter in the world, but you’re certainly the smartest!’” Shaker Heights is a city located in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. ... Tulane University Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City and a member of the Ivy League. ...

After competing in the 1970 Maccabiah Games, Berger emigrated to Israel, intending to open a law office in Tel Aviv after completing his compulsory military service. He met and become engaged to an Israeli student. Continuing his weightlifting competitions, he won a silver medal at the 1971 Asian Games, and easily made the 1972 Israeli Olympic team. In late August of that year, Berger flew to Munich with his teammates. On September 2, 1972, Berger competed, but was eliminated in an early round. The Maccabiah Games is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. ...

Early on the morning of September 5, 1972, Palestinian terrorists took Berger and his five rooommates hostage, after having earlier seized six officials in another apartment and wounding wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg in the face. While the athletes were being moved to the first apartment, Weinberg grappled with the intruders, allowing flyweight wrestler Gad Tsobari to escape but resulting in Weinberg’s death by gunfire. As the remaining hostages and terrorists entered the officials’ apartment, weightlifter Yossef Romano also attempted to overpower the intruders. Romano was shot by automatic fire (his corpse was left all day at the feet of the hostages, who were tied to beds), and Berger was wounded in his left shoulder, a wound seen by German officials later in the day. It is believed that Berger, being physically one of the largest of the hostages, was also beaten in order to intimidate the other hostages. The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... Terrorism is the unconventional use of violence for political gain. ...

After all-day negotiations, the terrorists and their tied-up hostages were transferred from the Olympic Village via helicopter to Fürstenfeldbruck airbase outside of Munich, where the terrorists believed they would be flown to a friendly Arab nation. Instead, the German border guards and Munich police attempted to ambush the terrorists and free the hostages. After a 2-hour gunfight, one of the terrorists turned on the helicopter in which Berger was sitting and sprayed it with machine-gun fire. The other three hostages in the helicopter were killed instantly, but somehow Berger only received two non-lethal wounds in his legs. However, the terrorist then detonated a grenade inside the helicopter, causing a huge explosion and fire. An autopsy found that Berger had died of smoke inhalation. The five hostages in the other helicopter were all shot to death by another terrorist.

While the ten other Israeli Olympians were flown to and buried in Israel, David Berger’s body was returned to the United States on an Air Force jet personally ordered by President Richard Nixon. Berger is buried in Shaker Heights, Ohio. David Berger National Memorial in Beachwood, Ohio honors the memory of Berger and his fallen teammates . In 2002 New Orleans renamed "Avenger Field," located in Audubon Park, "David Berger - Avenger Field" in memory of Berger and the other victims of terrorism. Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...

In 2005 the film Munich was released. Steven Spielberg, the film's director, refers to it as "historical fiction." The plot is mostly about a secret Israeli hit squad that is ordered to track down and kill the terrorists, but is framed by the hostage-taking and massacre events. Munich is an Academy Award-nominated 2005 film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth. ... Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (born December 18, 1946) is a four time Academy Award winning American film director (three OSCARS and 1 Lifetime Achievement Award), and among the most successful filmmakers in history. ...