Jewish gymnast Aly Raisman, who won gold at the London Olympics for her floor routine, has revealed that she chose the tune to the routine in honor of the Israelis murdered at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

Raisman did her routine to the strains of Hava Nagila.

She expressed sympathy with the loved ones of those killed in the 1972 attack, saying, “I can only imagine how painful it must be for the families and close personal friends of the victims.”

Eleven Israelis were murdered by the Black September terrorist group during the Munich games. Israel responded by tracking down and killing many of the terrorists involved.

Some of the slain athletes’ families requested a minute of silence at the 2012 Olympics to mark their deaths. The call for a moment of silence was supported by the United States and by Jewish communities around the world.

The International Olympic Committee turned down the request, saying the Olympics opening ceremony was “not fit to remember such a tragic incident.” The refusal led to anger against IOC president Jacques Rogge, particularly after he refused to answer the question, “is it because they were Israeli?”