London’s Imperial War Museum apologized on Thursday over an offensive exhibit branding Jewish soldiers who fought the Nazis during World War Two as "terrorists", Russia Today reported.
The apology came after the museum already removed the exhibit, which featured a display on the Jewish Brigade of the British Army that was described as "terrorist activities."
A poster of Jewish warriors was captioned: "Terrorist activities: Men of the First Battalion Jewish Brigade during a march past"; adding, "The Jewish Brigade was formed in September 1944 and fought in Italy under the British Eighth Army. Many of its members went on to join the Hagana and other illegal formations."
The Hagana was the largest of several Jewish paramilitary groups which operated during the British occupation of Israel, known at the time as British Mandatory Palestine.
It took a less active role than more radical resistance groups such as the Irgun and Lehi in fighting the British occupation, focusing primarily on defending existing Jewish communities – though its more elite strike-force, the Palmach, did at times carry out offensive operations against Arab militias and British occupation forces. As the precursor to the IDF it played a central role in fending off the combined Arab invasion during the War of Independence.
In his letter to the Museum, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre noted the apparent double-standard the Jewish Brigade was being subject to, and urged the museum to withdraw the poster.
On Thursday, the museum also issued an apology over the incident, with its Corporate Communications Manager Bryony Phillips saying the “terrorist” label had been attributed to the photograph accidentally.
“We apologize unreservedly. This was the historic label we received alongside the photograph, accidentally uploaded in order to give the public access to our comprehensive archives,” Phillips said, according to Russia Today.
She added the photo was removed and that the museum was looking in detail at all other captions.