‘Undeniable and indelible’; Roald Dahl Museum denounces childrens author’s past anti-semitic comments

Roald Dahl, one of literature's most celebrated children’s book authors, has once again been denounced for his anti-semetic comments made in 1983 in response to the 1982 Lebanon War. This time however it is a museum bearing his name that have stepped forwards to express their strong opposition to the author’s rhetoric, as interest in the author has increased following the trailer being released for Timothee Chalamet's next film, "Wonka."

On their website, the Roald Dahl Museum, based in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, wrote “The Roald Dahl Museum condemns all racism directed at any group or individual. We fully support the apology made in 2020 by the Dahl family and Roald Dahl Story Company for Dahl’s anti semitic views about Jewish people. Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.”

The post continued on to confirm their steps made since Dahl’s comments were once again under review, writing “since 2021 we have engaged with several organisations within the Jewish community, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, the Community Security Trust, and the Antisemitism Policy Trust. This process has included training for our staff and trustees from the Antisemitism Policy Trust.

 “We want to keep listening and talking to explore how our organisation might make further contributions towards combating hate and prejudice, supporting the work of experts already working in this area, including those from the Jewish community [...] 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.”

The comments come almost three years after the Dahl family themselves issued a statement regarding Dahl’s comments made to the New Statesmen and then in an interview with The Independent in 1990, which was also included in the Roald Dahl Museum comments. “The Dahl family and the Roald Dahl Story Company deeply apologise for the lasting and understandable hurt caused by Roald Dahl's anti semitic statements.” 

“Those prejudiced remarks are incomprehensible to us and stand in marked contrast to the man we knew and to the values at the heart of Roald Dahl's stories, which have positively impacted young people for generations. We hope that, just as he did at his best, at his absolute worst, Roald Dahl can help remind us of the lasting impact of words.”

What did Roald Dahl say that prompted calls of anti-semitism?

Roald Dahl's remarks that were considered anti-semitic revolved around his views on Israel and the Jewish people; in a review of Tony Clifton's book "God Cried" about the siege of West Beirut during the 1982 Lebanon War, Dahl made statements suggesting animosity towards Jews and Israel. He stated that "a race of people," referring to Jews, had rapidly switched from victims to barbarous murderers and that empathy after the Holocaust had turned into hatred and revulsion.

Dahl expressed his anti-Israel sentiments, asserting that Clifton's book would make readers "violently anti-Israeli," and he claimed to be "anti-Israel" while denying being anti-semitic. He questioned whether Israel needed to be brought to its knees before learning how to behave in the world. 

Dahl also made controversial comments about Jewish people, stating that there was a trait in the Jewish character that provoked animosity and implying a lack of generosity towards non-Jews. He further accused the United States of being utterly dominated by Jewish financial institutions, which, he claimed, prevented them from defying Israelis.

Dahl's views on Israel and the Jewish people led to criticism and controversy at the time and continue to be regarded as anti-semitic, with some of his statements considered to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and contributed to the perception of Jewish people as controlling the media and financial institutions.