The British Museum cancelled—or, in its preferred terminology, “postponed”—a lecture that formed part of its Jewish Culture Month. Paul Collins, Keeper of the British Museum’s Middle East Department, was scheduled to deliver a public lecture entitled Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum.

According to the Museum’s announcement, the lecture would examine how “the histories of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah can be illuminated by the archaeology and art of the wider ancient Middle East” (Oddly, this announcement can now only be found via the Wayback Machine). In other words, Collins’ lecture was going to discuss the archaeological and historical evidence connecting the Jewish people to the land of Israel. Hence its inclusion in the Museum’s celebration of Jewish culture. And therein lies the problem.

The British Museum cancelled this event due to ill-defined “security concerns.” Apparently, an unknown number of individuals purchased tickets to Collins’ lecture with the intention of disrupting—or, more accurately, preventing—him from discussing the Jewish people’s........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)