Esther Roth-Shahamorov's Olympic Shoes Donated to Museum

On Sunday, Israel marked 54 years since the Munich 1972 massacre of its Olympic delegation. In remembrance, the Jerusalem Municipality is transferring a significant artifact to the Museum of the Jewish Olympic Experience at Kfar Maccabiah: the athletic shoes worn by Olympic athlete Esther Roth-Shahamorov during her training for the 1972 Munich Games.

Roth-Shahamorov, a prominent Israeli athlete, was part of the Israeli delegation to Munich. The shoes were previously loaned to the Jerusalem Municipality for a special exhibition held before the Jerusalem Marathon several years ago. Following the exhibition, they were kept at the entrance to the sports department of the municipality.

With the consent of Esther Roth-Shahamorov and her family, the shoes will now be entrusted to the Museum of the Jewish Olympic Experience. They will be displayed to the public as part of the historical narrative of Israeli and Jewish sports, and Roth-Shahamorov's legacy.

The shoes will join other notable artifacts in the museum's collection, including items from Olympic gold medalist Gal Fridman, Olympic medalist Yael Arad, Maccabi Tel Aviv's 1977 European Championship basketball trophy, and baseball memorabilia from Sandy Koufax. The museum also houses items from Agnes Keleti, one of the greatest Jewish athletes of all time, and jerseys from Israeli soccer stars Eran Zahavi and Yossi Benayoun.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion stated that the donation aims to preserve not only the memory of the 11 athletes killed in Munich but also the stories of Israeli athletes who continued to strive and represent the country. He called Roth-Shahamorov's shoes a moving historical item representing a generation of Israeli sports and expressed pride in their transfer to the museum.

Osnat Tzur, director of the Museum of the Jewish Olympic Experience, thanked Roth-Shahamorov and her family for entrusting the shoes to the museum for preservation and display, and also thanked the Jerusalem Municipality for safeguarding them over the years.