The Imperial War Museum Must Correct Its Own Errors.

We have just returned from a wonderful vacation in London, England. As history enthusiasts, we visited a number of museums, one of which was the Imperial War Museum (IWM).

Recently, there have been articles (The Guardian and The Times of Israel) noting that a retired academic museum visitor, and two eminent historians, pointed out that the Explanation Card regarding the Nuremberg race laws is incorrect in the IWM’s Holocaust exhibit. I would like to add my visit experience and point out an additional misrepresentation.

First, it must be said that we had a moving visit to the Imperial War Museum, London. There was a wide variety of information and personal stories, which were all presented very interestingly in various ways.

However, in the Holocaust exhibit, the display (in German) depicting the Nazi perspective of racial genealogy determining who is a Jew (and thus, subject to genocide), the Explanation Card describing the Nazi definition correctly begins “The Nazis believed Jewishness was a racial not a religious identity.” Yet it concludes by incorrectly stating, “A person was defined as ‘Jewish’ based on the number of observant Jewish grandparents they had.” (Author’s italic emphasis. See author’s slightly out-of-focused picture on the left.)

Anyone who has lived through that time, or had Jewish relatives who have, will attest to the fact that anyone considered Jewish was subject to extermination, whether ‘observant’ or not. Even one Jewish grandparent, regardless of maternal or paternal, would suffice to classify one as “Jewish” under Nazism and their genocidal campaign. The museum must correct this error and explain the broad genocidal context.

Further along in the IWM’s well-done Holocaust exhibit are presentations of the liberation of the Concentration Camps by the Allied Forces. One exhibit shows pictures of former Nazi camp guards who were hunted down and killed during the post-liberation period. The Explanation Card incorrectly states, “Some guards fled, but were tracked down and killed by Allied soldiers.” (Author’s italic emphasis. See author’s photo on the right.)

Based on all the research I have done over the years, there has never been mention of Allied soldiers tracking down and killing Nazi soldiers or camp guards. Research has shown that these deeds were conducted by partisans and former camp prisoners.

Here is a list of three books focused on this topic: “An Eye for an Eye by John Sack” – focuses on reprisals against Germans immediately after the war. “Nakam” by Dina Porat – tells the specific story of the paramilitary group that plotted mass retaliation against the German population. “The Avengers” (Les Vengeurs) by Michael Bar-Zohar – a journalistic account that chronicles Jewish avenger groups, tracking and assassinations of suspected Nazis after WWII.

Here is a short list of articles, archives, and eyewitness accounts, plus documentary evidence: “Jewish avengers unapologetic for targeting Nazis after WWII” by the Associated Press; Oral Histories at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum containing interviews and archival records on Jewish Brigade veterans, Jewish partisans, and postwar actions; “Fears of Retribution in Post-War Germany” article from the National WWII Museum; “Jewish Vengeance: After World War II, some Jews searched for Nazis and Germans and killed them” article from Tablet Magazine.

There is just too much proof that negates the Imperial War Museum’s incorrect presentations. One wonders why the IWM continues to insist that only religious Jews were persecuted, thus demeaning the extent of the scourge of antisemitism. And why give incorrect credit to the victorious Allied forces and take away the credit from the victims of Nazi inhumanity who summoned up the courage to face their tormentors and deliver justice.

The Imperial War Museum must correct these errors. I would be honored to be invited to attend an event presenting the correction of both these key and factual errors and omissions.

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David S. Levine, MBA. Author of “Revolutions: In Their Own Words – What They Really Say About Their Causes” and the forthcoming book “Prayer: In Their Own Words – Islam-Catholicism-Judaism – What Do They Pray For?” David is a former New York City advertising & marketing executive and a retired Rutgers University instructor. Follow him on X (Twitter): @DavidsLevine