UK venues decline antisemitism exhibition shown across Europe
National Holocaust Museum display hosted in Brussels and Berlin has yet to secure a public British venue
An exhibition examining the history and repetition of antisemitism has struggled to find a public venue in Britain, despite being hosted by major institutions across Europe.
The Vicious Circle, devised by the National Holocaust Museum, explores recurring anti-Jewish hatred through a series of historical case studies spanning from Nazi Germany to the 7 October attacks in Israel.
The exhibition was briefly displayed in a privately rented Soho gallery in London in January 2025 before beginning a European tour. Since then, it has appeared at institutions including the European Parliament, the Berlin House of Representatives, Austria’s interior ministry and the Estonian National Museum. It was also shown during the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, although that display was not open to the public.
As reported by The Times, the exhibition was offered to several British institutions, including St. Paul’s Cathedral and the UK Foreign Office, as organisers sought a public British venue following its European tour.
The exhibition uses five objects and stories from Jewish communities affected by anti-Jewish violence in Berlin, Baghdad, Kielce, Aden and southern Israel to examine how antisemitic ideas reappear across generations. Promotional material from the House of the Wannsee Conference in Berlin describes the exhibition as focusing on “five pogroms that led to the ethnic cleansing of these communities” between 1938 and 2023.
In a letter sent to The Times, Michael Hilsenrath, chair of the Anglo-Jewish Association, said the difficulty securing a British venue reflected a wider unwillingness to confront antisemitism publicly.
He wrote: “Antisemitism is culturally tolerated and yet persistently minimised – including by the government, universities and those who readily condemn prejudice against other minorities.”
Referring to The Vicious Circle, Hilsenrath added: “Efforts to host the exhibition in public venues across the UK have so far been unsuccessful. This contrast speaks for itself and reinforces your editorial.”
Organisers also proposed a Foreign Office showing to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day earlier this year, with a planned Vienna exhibition postponed in the hope of securing a British venue first. However, logistical concerns reportedly prevented the plans from progressing.
An FCDO spokesperson told Jewish News: “As part of our steadfast commitment to combat antisemitism in all its forms, we co-host a yearly Holocaust Memorial Day event.
“Each year we consider a number of exhibitions to display in the space available, this year partnering with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the Association of Jewish Refugees to present their projects.”
The spokesperson added that officials had considered The Vicious Circle alongside a number of other exhibitions, but that “logistical constraints meant that it was not feasible” to include it this year. They also stressed the decision “was not a ministerial decision”.
A request to display the exhibition at St Paul’s Cathedral was also considered last year.
According to The Times, a spokesperson for St Paul’s Cathedral said: “St Paul’s Cathedral receives a significant range of requests to host temporary exhibitions and events, which we are only rarely able to accommodate.
“As a busy cathedral, we have to take into account logistical requirements and the timeframes involved, given our existing programme of services and events, which is formed and planned years in advance.”
Earlier this year, Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle publicly distanced himself from a decision blocking the exhibition from being displayed in Westminster Hall. A parliamentary advisory committee reportedly concluded the exhibition did not meet requirements relating to political neutrality.
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