Israel Slams Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Decision Not to Exhibit Israeli Archaeological Artifacts

Israel charged today that the decision by the Metropolitan Museum of Art not to display a proposed archaeological exhibit from Israel is “purely political” and that “there can be no dispute” that the archaeological artifacts that were meant to be displayed at the museum originated “in the Land of the Bible — the Land of Israel.”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art said yesterday that it decided against the Israeli exhibit because some of the artifacts come from the West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, and would, therefore, pose security risk for the museum. Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan, said: “We’re very sorry, because we wanted to do the show, particularly in view of the fact that our own collections contain so little of this material (ranging from earliest times to the Crusades). But we finally decided that besides the security risk from radical elements, it would be in appropriate; that the museum would be taking a de facto stand in showing this material as the heritage of the State of Israel.”

According to de Montebello, who reportedly left for Europe today and was not available for further comment, the decision was reached by the museum’s board.

ARAB PRESSURE NOT RULED OUT

Israeli officials here said today that they do not rule out the possibility that the Metropolitan caved in to Arab pressure. However, in a statement issued here by Shmuel Moyal, spokesman for the Israel Consulate in New York, Israel said that it was “deeply disturbing” that the museum has allowed “considerations of purely political nature to determine its policy of planning archaeological and scientific exhibits.”

The statement added: “No historical rationalization can be found for drawing arbitrary lines between the numerous archaeological sites that together constitute a land dating back thousands of years. The museum itself has acknowledged that the nature of its decision to draw such lines was entirely political, relating to what it calls the ‘dispute’ over the area from which the artifacts originated.”

Asked about the charge that the decision of the museum was taken under “Arab pressure,” Bemice Heller, associate for public information at the museum, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that “that may be their (the Israeli officials) opinion” and that the museum has no further comment to add to what de Montebello said yesterday.

In response to another question from the JTA, as to why the decision was reached after a few years of discussions with Israeli museum officials, Ms. Heller said it was not an uncommon practice because decisions regarding the display of exhibitions usually take years.

Moyal told the JTA today that Israel, meanwhile, signed an agreement with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service to display Israeli archaeological artifacts that the Metropolitan Museum of Art considered “controversial.”

SYNAGOGUE COUNCIL ATTACKS MUSEUM’S DECISION

In an attack on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s decision, Rabbi Walter Wurzburger, president of the Synagogue Council of America, the national coordinating agency for the Conservative, Orthodox and Reform rabbinic congregational organizations, said: “It is incredible that a distinguished cultural institution would follow the example of Arab states boycotting Israel.” He said this “is the implication” of the museum’s decision.

Referring to the museum’s expressed fear that the exhibit might cause violence by extremists, Wurzburger said this “is dangerous for at least two reasons. It yields to the implied pressure of terrorists which only invites more and new acts of terrorism and it permits the threat of violence to determine educational programs of institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum.”