Esther Roth-Shahamorov Olympic Shoes Transferred to Jewish Sports Museum
On the anniversary of the Munich Olympics massacre, the historic running shoes of legendary Israeli athlete Esther Roth-Shahamorov were transferred to the World Jewish Sports Museum.
On the anniversary of the Munich Olympics massacre, the historic athletic shoes worn by legendary Israeli track and field athlete Esther Roth-Shahamorov during her training for the 1972 Olympic Games have been transferred from the Jerusalem Municipality to the World Jewish Sports Museum at Kfar Maccabiah.
Today marks the anniversary of the tragic massacre of 11 Israeli delegation members during the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. Roth-Shahamorov, recognized as one of Israel's greatest athletes of all time, was a member of that delegation.
Several years ago, Roth-Shahamorov brought the historic shoes to the Jerusalem Municipality for an exhibition ahead of the Jerusalem Marathon. Following the exhibition, the shoes were displayed and preserved at the entrance of the municipality's sports department. Now, with her blessing, they will be permanently housed and displayed at the museum in Ramat Gan.
The shoes will join other prominent historical artifacts of Jewish and Israeli sports, including Gal Fridman's gold-medal surfboard from Athens 2004, Yael Arad's silver-medal judo suit from Barcelona 1992, and original national team jerseys of Eran Zahavi and Yossi Benayoun.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion stated:
"Esther Roth-Shahamorov's shoes are a moving historical item that tells the story of an entire generation in Israeli sports. We are proud to transfer them to the museum's custody."
Osnat Tzur, director of the World Jewish Sports Museum at Kfar Maccabiah, added that it is a great privilege to preserve and display the shoes in a fitting place alongside central exhibits of shared sporting history.
