The Roald Dahl Museum has admitted and apologised for the author’s “undeniable and indelible” antisemitism and began work to be more inclusive and equitable.
In an online statement, the charity said that it condemns “all racism directed at any group or individual” and fully supports the apology the Dahl family and Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC) made in 2020 for Dahl’s “antisemitic views about Jewish people”.
Since 2021, the charity has engaged with several organisations within the Jewish community such as the Jewish Leadership Council, the Community Security Trust and the Antisemitism Policy Trust.
The Roald Dahl Museum was founded in 2001 by Dahl’s widow, Liccy, “to further the education of the public in the art of literature and creativity by running a museum and literature centre based on the works” of the author.
‘We’re working to be more welcoming’
The statement reads: “We are working to be more welcoming to all who might wish to visit in person or online, by reflecting the visible diversity of our audiences in our marketing, by running accessible and inclusive recruitment campaigns for staff or trustee positions, by training our people to better understand and welcome everyone, equitably. We are working hard to do better and know we have more to do.
“We do not repeat Dahl’s antisemitic statements publicly, but we do keep a record of what he wrote and said in the Museum’s collection, so it is not forgotten.”
The charity said that it wants “to keep listening and talking to explore how our organisation might make further contributions towards combatting hate and prejudice, supporting the work of experts already working in this area, including those from the Jewish community”.
As part of this, it has developed resources for UK primary schools at Key Stage 2 to help fight prejudice “by championing universal children’s rights, explored through the experiences of characters in Roald Dahl’s stories”.
“Roald Dahl’s racism is undeniable and indelible but what we hope can also endure is the potential of Dahl’s creative legacy to do some good,” it added.
Comments remain a ‘recurring reputation difficulty’
The charity previously said that Dahl’s review of Tony Clifton’s God Cried in 1983 and comments in a follow-up interview remain “a recurring reputational difficulty for the Museum and RDSC”.
“Briefing on the antisemitism issue is included in board induction materials and Museum staff know that the director should be looped in on any public raising of this issue e.g. a social media comment,” it wrote in its most recent accounts.
“The visibility of the issue was increased in 2020 by the release of the Dahl family apology and subsequent criticism for how the apology was presented. In 2021 this led to a period of reflection and consultation by RDSC with Jewish community representatives, which included the Museum.”
This, the charity wrote, led “Dahl-owned RDSC to play a leading role in constructive antisemitism response for the brand following the apology criticism by developing Children’s Rights resources for KS2 schools to combat prejudice”.
“This work has progressed with encouraging teacher consultation and has reached a gateway stage at which the Jewish community stakeholders need to be consulted again on our proposed approach.”
Related articles
