The British Museum has postponed a lecture on the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah that was due to take place during Jewish Cultural Month, amid concerns that planned disruptions could prevent the event from taking place.The lecture, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed because the museum said it was aware of the large number of registered attendees intent on disrupting the proceedings, the BBC reported.The museum said in a statement that the decision was made to ensure the event could be held in a safe and respectful environment and not be disrupted by protests.The museum later confirmed that the lecture was titled Ancient History of Israel and Judahwill be rescheduled for early next month and will also be live-streamed to accommodate wider public interest.“We were informed that a significant portion of the registered attendees were individuals who intended to intentionally disrupt the event,” the museum said, adding that it remained committed to providing a space where history and culture could be explored “openly, respectfully and without interruption.”The event is part of Jewish Culture Month, a national program run by the House Committee on British Jewry that celebrates Jewish history, culture and creativity through more than 100 events across the UK.The House committee called the postponement “deeply regrettable” but said it was working with the museum to reschedule the lecture.“Jewish Culture Month sees many of Britain’s great cultural institutions working with us to celebrate British Jewish culture, community and creativity, and we will not allow the actions of extremists to prevent the British public from enjoying these events,” the group wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
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The decision also drew criticism from the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, which argued that the postponement reflected wider challenges facing Jewish cultural events in the UK.Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenock urged the government to ensure events can go ahead, saying Jewish cultural events were increasingly being canceled or disrupted.The lecture, given by Paul Collins, Curator of the Middle East at the British Museum, examined the archaeological and historical evidence relating to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah from about 900 BC to 50 BC.
