Yad Vashem’s bank account closed due to ‘error’ by British bank

Simon Bentley, chairman of Yad Vashem in the UK, told the British Mail that NatWest’s actions towards the UK branch of Israel’s National Holocaust Museum were “shocking”.

He added: “Yad Vashem is a non-political registered charity focused on raising awareness about the Holocaust and tackling unprecedented levels of anti-Semitism here in the UK and around the world. I am sure that we have been an exemplary customer of NatWest for many years, having kept our current account in balance and investing large amounts of money with them.”

Last week, before reversing the decision, NatWest sparked outrage when it suspended all business relations with Yad Vashem in July “following a recent review”. Yad Vashem UK was told it had less than four months to find a new bank before its account was permanently closed.

The bank told Yad Vashem: “We are not in a position to discuss this decision with you or provide you with any further information related to our decision-making.”

A NatWest spokesperson told MailOnline: “We have apologised to the customer as this was an administrative error and we will continue to have Yad Vashem UK as a customer. We are working to ensure this does not happen again and apologise for the inconvenience.”

A group called Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said: “At a time of growing anti-Semitism and pressure on financial institutions to sever their ties with Jewish groups and the Jewish state, the bank owes Yad Vashem and the Jewish community an explanation.”