A UK museum scheduled to hold an exhibit on Jewish life in Bournemouth next October after a controversial decision to postpone the display.
The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum (RCAGM) committee, which is staffed by members of the Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council, confirmed to The Jerusalem Post last Friday that the museum would be holding its exhibition ‘Waves of Change: Jewish Life in Bournemouth, 1880- 2025’ from October 2026.
After originally having been set to run from November 25, council and RCAGM Management Committee said that they had agreed on the revised dates with exhibition curators to give the exhibition the "prominence it deserves."
"BCP Council, the sole trustee of the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, recognises the huge part the Jewish community has played and continues to play in the history, heritage and culture of Bournemouth," said the council and . "The Russell-Cotes is an important heritage asset housing locally, nationally, and internationally significant art and culture. The Russell-Cotes and BCP Council are very much looking forward to welcoming the exhibition when it opens in October 2026."
Board of Deputies of British Jews president Phil Rosenberg said in a September 22 statement that the museum had made the correct decision by proceeding with the exhibit.
"Cancelling Jewish culture out of fear of antisemitism is the wrong approach," said Rosenberg. "Celebrating the contribution of our communities and reaching out to our friends and neighbours from different faiths and backgrounds is more important now than ever."
RCAGM said that the exhibition was never cancelled, but had been postponed at the beginning of September after consideration of a "sensitive time and due to requirements related to this event."
"This was not a decision made due to any external pressure," said the RCGAM committee.
Campaign Against Antisemitism had accused the museum of cancelling the exhibit out of fears of protests and security concerns at a time when British Jews faced high levels of antisemitism.
"British institutions should be standing firm in support of Jewish life, not silencing it," CAA had said on X on September 3. "Instead, a museum has chosen to extinguish Jewish culture in the face of threats from an antisemitic mob."
Antisemitism in Bournemouth
The museum's original decision had come amid a series of antisemitic incidents in Bournemouth, and the announcement of the rescheduling was made as Rosenburg visited the town in solidarity with the local Jewish community.
Rosenberg had met with local Chabad Rabbi Bentzion Alperowitz, who according to the BBC had his house vandalized with a Nazi swastika on August 26.
On August 23 a Jewish teenage boy was shot with an air rifle, in what Dorset police called a hate crime incident. The boy sustained a minor head injury.
Dorset police announced on September 1 that a 26-year-old Ferndown man was arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of an imitation firearm in a public place.