Promotion of the Olympic Tree of Life Memorial Complex project in New York, Chicago, Israel and Switzerland

Project description

The Olympic Tree of Life is a memorial, planned for Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to the eleven Israeli athletes killed by terrorists at the XX Olympic Games in Munich in 1972.

More than fifty years after the tragedy, the memorial’s relevance is underscored by the events of October 7, 2023 and the sharp rise of antisemitism worldwide, including in the United States. Only a handful of monuments to the murdered athletes exist anywhere in the world — and the Assembly of the World Diasporas has come forward to establish one in Chicago.

Beyond a static composition, the memorial is designed to work as a community center and international landmark for generations to come — a place where the memory of the murdered athletes stays alive, and where humanity affirms its resolve against terror and hatred rooted in racism, antisemitism and xenophobia.

Memorial Composition — the “Olympic Tree of Life”

• The Tree of Life — a trunk and branches formed of interconnected dark geometric elements (voxels) — cubes and parallelepipeds — symbolizing the versatility and infinity of human life; a globe on each voxel affirms the worth of every life, regardless of gender, race, religion or nationality.
• The Olympic Torches — branches ending in stylized replicas of the Olympic relay torches — fourteen in all, from Munich 1972 to Paris 2024 — with places reserved for future torches through Los Angeles 2028 and on to 2072, the centenary of the tragedy.
• The Munich Torch & Tears — an enlarged stainless-steel replica of the 1972 Munich torch stands at the front of the composition, with illuminated crystal “tears” (red, white and transparent) flowing from it to evoke the horror of those events.
• The Eleven — eleven light-coloured elements, arranged beneath the Tree, honour the murdered Israeli athletes — each engraved with the Olympic rings and an athlete’s name.
• The Fallen Voxels — dark elements scattered at the base, “fallen” from the Tree, symbolize all those who have already passed from this life.
• Honorary Panel — a dedicated panel bears the names of the authors, organizers and sponsors; the memorial may be named after its general sponsor.

Meaning & Public Significance

• Traditional Human Values — the Tree of Life is a symbol of life across many peoples; its branches and scattered elements evoke the centuries-long history of humankind, in its light and dark periods alike.
• Connection with Olympic Values — the torch replicas (1972–2024 and beyond), the Olympic rings, and the steadfastness of Olympic values expressed by IOC President Thomas Bach.
• Terror & Anti-Terror — the enlarged Munich torch and crystal tears make an artistic statement on the global nature of terrorism and hatred — and the need for international solidarity to counter it.
• Dedication to Memory — the memorial is activated by remembrance — keeping the athletes’ story alive for present and future generations.

A Living Memorial

Each year on September 5–6 — the days of the athletes’ deaths — citywide community events light all the torches and the eleven commemorative elements of the Olympic Tree of Life.

Once every four years, before each Summer Olympic Games, sponsors, the Memorial Organizing Committee, community leaders, and the athletes’ relatives and descendants take part in a symbolic Olympic torch relay, culminating in the solemn installation of a new torch — lit from the Olympic flame — on the Tree.

How to Support

Founders, sponsors and community partners are invited to help establish the memorial; the memorial may carry the name of its general sponsor, and supporters’ names are engraved on the honorary panel. Final architectural, content and engineering solutions are developed together with local authorities, public organizations and the Olympic committees.