Dreyfus: A Very Modern Affair

An October 7th story that begins in 1894 • [View this email in your browser]( October 14, 2024 • Tishrei 12, 5785 # Dear Friends, I wanted to share with you a very special project we released today. I know this October has already had its share of grim anniversaries, but today, alas, is another: 130 years ago, on October 14, 1894, a Jewish army officer named Alfred Dreyfus left his apartment in Paris, strolled over to his office for what he thought was a routine meeting, and was arrested for espionage. His trial, imprisonment, and acquittal were among the most consequential affairs of the modern era, forcing Europe to grapple with its anti-Semitism and forcing Jews to stand up for themselves. Covering Dreyfus’s ordeal was a young Viennese journalist, Theodor Herzl, who became convinced that Jews needed to return to their indigenous homeland in Zion. But the Dreyfus Affair isn’t ancient history. It is, alas, as relevant and urgent as it has ever been. In television studios and on college campuses today, we see millions of little Dreyfuses, guilty of no other crime save for being Jewish. And the Jewish state the Dreyfus Affair helped inspire, Israel, has itself become a sort of global Dreyfus writ large, accused of heinous crimes it didn’t commit by a world eager to indict and punish it severely. Our podcast, however, isn’t grim, not only because the story it tells unfurls like something out of a thrilling spy caper, or because we have the pleasure of sitting down with Dreyfus’s great-granddaughter, the ultimate vindication of his triumph, but also because the story of the Dreyfus Affair is primarily a story of courage and conviction. It’s the story of Emil Zola—we visit his home with his great granddaughter as well—who risked his fortune, reputation, and life for the truth. And it’s the story of brave journalists, like Caroline Fourest, who are doing the same in contemporary France. It’s a story, in other words, of our moment in time, and why, despite all available evidence, we should be hopeful that we, too, shall soon triumph. I hope you give it a listen. Onwards, Liel [CLICK HERE TO LISTEN]( This email was sent to you by [Tablet Magazine](#) Tablet Magazine | P.O. Box 20079 | New York, NY 10001 [Remove me from this list]( | [Forward to a Friend]( You are receiving this email because you signed up at our website, www.tabletmag.com. Tablet Magazine P.O. Box 20079 New York, NY 10001 USA Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp [Mailchimp Email Marketing](