Paul Collins, keeper of the British Museum’s Middle East department, was slated to deliver a lunchtime talk about “Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum” on May 28. The museum now states that the lecture, which was to be part of Jewish Culture month, has been postponed. “Please note this event has been postponed,” it states. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Frightened Of Vandals?

David Wolfson, a member of the House of Lords who is an Orthodox Jew, shared a screenshot of what he said was an e-mail from the museum postponing the event. “Important information about your booking,” the e-mail from the museum’s ticketing team states. “Due to security concerns, the Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum talk on Thursday May 28 has been postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience.” “If publicly-funded institutions cannot host such events without folding to pressure, serious questions arise about that funding,” wrote Wolfson, shadow attorney general. In a separate statement, the museum said it had been “informed that a significant proportion of registered attendees were individuals intending to deliberately disrupt the event.”