The Jewish Museum in London was evacuated yesterday after receiving a hoax bomb threat, the JC can reveal.

It is believed that the museum received the threat in a phone call, after which the premises were cleared. The JC understands the call was received around midday, when around 100 people, including children from two schools, were in the building.

A spokesperson for the museum confirmed that the building in north London, “was evacuated as a precaution following a security alert.

“We work closely with the police and the Community Security Trust on our security procedures and were able to evacuate the building quickly and safely. We would like to thank our staff and visitors for their patience and cooperation.”

Earlier today the Sydney Jewish Museum in Australia was closed for a two hours after receiving a bomb threat. It reopened after police searched the premises.

Jewish community centres and schools across the United States have received a wave of hoax bomb threats since the beginning of 2017. No explosive devices have been reported as found in any of these incidents.  

A spokesperson for the CST confirmed that the organisation “worked closely with the Jewish Museum and Police during and after a security alert.

"Security procedures were implemented and the museum was soon able to resume functioning as normal.”

Abigail Morris, director of the Jewish Museum, said:

“We take the safety of our staff and visitors extremely seriously. At the time of the alert there were two school groups in the museum who were efficiently evacuated from the building.

"This incident underlines how vital our work is. We welcome thousands of visitors to the Jewish Museum every year, including 20,000 schoolchildren – 95 per cent of whom are not Jewish. We challenge prejudice and combat antisemitism by breaking down barriers and building bridges. “