Commentary
D
r Lorraine Beitler, an American collector impassioned by the history of the Dreyfus Affair, has brought together an exceptional group of original documents on the actors and episodes of the major political and judicial affair which shook the Republic at the end of the last century. She has presented them in an exhibition which evokes for visitors the martyrdom of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, the errors of his accusers, the lucidity and courage of his defenders, and the ultimate success of truth and of justice after years of lies, breaches of duty, and baseness. . . . [the exhibition] informs and educates, with its own particular power. . . . Lorraine Beitler is one of those numerous Americans who have tried to preserve and extend the rights and liberties of their country. . . . She has turned a French affair into an example, in order to demonstrate to her compatriots the virtues of civic action. At the same time she encourages us never to forget the lessons of the Dreyfus Affair. In welcoming her collection, Monsieur the President of the Senate has demonstrated the very best of the moral solidarity that exists between the United States and France. They are both to be thanked and congratulated.
Henri Mitterand
Commander of the Legion of Honor President of the Sociètè littèraire des Amis d´Emile Zola
Avant -Propos. L´Afaire Dreyfus: Quatre Hommes d´Honneur. Sènat de la Rèpublique Fran çaise, Palais du Luxembourg, Paris. Exhibition catalogue. September 16-October 11, 1998.
T
he City of Paris is proud to welcome the exhibition organized by the Beitler Family Foundation on Zola and the Dreyfus Affair to the City Hall of the 4thDistrict. Beyond the historical interest and power of attraction of this exhibition, and the aesthetic and pedagogical value of the documents offered to visitors, we are aware that, wherever it has been shown, the exhibition has given rise to reflections on the nature and meaning of a crisis which profoundly unsettled the political life and institutions of France between 1894 and 1906.
The “Affair” was in fact an exemplary fight for justice, for tolerance, and for honor against arbitrariness, against the breakdown of moral sense, and against the misuse of the powers and values of the Republic. . . . Through the care which has been brought to a selection remarkable for its intelligence and quality, the texts and imagery offered to the public clearly highlight the phases of a scandal whose impact has undoubtedly changed the orientation and practice of democracy in our country. . . . Such wasthe fight taken up by the “French League for the Rights of Man” created by intellectuals, artists, writers, journalists, and academics, those we call today the “relays of opinion,” committed for the first time to the defense of a great cause in the press, in publishing, and in social life and whose crucial moments are remarkably recalled by the exhibits, . . . assembled here with all their emotional charge and their extraordinary powers of evocation.
The Beitler Foundation thus makes us hear, in a striking manner, the clamour of an “affair” which
is both distant and yet so near. . . .
Lucien Finel
Mayor of the IVe Arrondissement, Paris
Zola et l´afaire Dreyfus: un moment de la conscience humaine. Mairie du IVe arrondissement, Paris.
Exhibition catalogue. June 17-July 5, 1998.
The President of the Senate of the FrenchRepublic
F
ollowing Columbia University in New York and the Town Hall of the fourth district of Paris, it is now the turn of the Senate to welcome the exhibition presented by the American Beitler Foundation on the “Men of Honor” who in the name of justice and truth worked tirelessly for the rehabilitation of Alfred Dreyfus: Colonel Pic quart, whose discoveries supported the hypothesis of a “judicial error” Emile Zola who placed his talent as a polemicist at the service of the revision of the trial; Auguste Scheurer-Kestner, Vice-President of the Senate, who was the first influential politician to proclaim the innocence of the unjustly condemned officer. . . . When the moment came to render a lasting homage to this great Frenchman, the office of the Senate ofered a symbolic site in the garden of the Luxembourg which permitted installation of a monument whose execution was entrusted to the celebrated sculptor Dalou. . . . [and] reminds us of the duty of memory and the demands of vigilance.
Renè Monory
Prèsident du Sènat
L´Afaire Dreyfus: Quatre Hommes d´Honneur. Sènat de la Rèpublique française, Palais du Luxembourg, Paris. Exhibition catalogue. September 16-October 11, 1998.
M
ore than a century after it exploded, with all its diverse ramifications, the questions brought to light by what has come to be called the Dreyfus Affair have remained and indeed continue, unhappily, to be more than ever of contemporary significance. It is therefore fortunate that an exhibition such as the Dreyfus Affair: Voices of Honor marks a stage here, in the region of metropolitan Brussels, in the prestigious context of the Albertina, after having already traveled to Paris and New York.The documents assembled here, placed in relation to each other, and thus illuminated, present us with an opportunity. They constitute a remarkable occasion on which to study the ideas in context with regard to the facts and personalities which mark this drama; they also appear to me to provide an opportunity for meditation on the foundations of our society, and also on the demons which haunt and menace it with dreadful persistence. . . . If the Dreyfus Affair was able to inspire the courage of certain persons of honor, as Lorraine Beitler has shown, catalyzing others by the new importance of the press, and offering its baptism of fire to those who would from thenceforth be known as the “intellectuals”... May it, by the grace of this exhibition, make a durable impact with regard to the dangers and traps within society and give us the desire and strength to protect our values whenever they should find themselves menaced.
Jacques Simonet
Ministre-prèsident du gouvernement de la règion de Bruxelles-Capitale Dreyfus Today. L´Afaire Dreyfus: les voix de l´honneur/De zaak-Dreyfus… en zij verhi even hun stem. Bibliothèque royale de Belgique. Exhibition catalogue. February 10-March 11, 2000
T
his is the contemporaneity of the Dreyfus Affair . . . It is the example of men and women who are willing to risk their present, and in some cases their future, for the promise of liberty. B´nai B´rith salutes the Beitler Foundation which . . . for the first time is presenting this exhibition in Spanish. As the international president of an organization with contacts in fifty-eight countries, where there is struggle against every type of discrimination in respect of human rights, I am delighted that one of them, B´nai B´rith Argentina has seen fit to be the first to participate in this fundamental exposition.
Richard Heideman
President of B´nai B´rith Internacional
“Dreyfus: verdad y justicia.” Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires.
November 1-25, 2001.
Commentary
The Former Defense Secretary of the United States of America
A
ccept my thanks on behalf of the Department of Defense for sharing your poignant and widely acclaimed exhibition, Voices of Honor: The Dreyfus Affair, with the cadets and faculty of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point this fall. . . . Your thoughtfully crafted exhibition will enable our future leaders to hold up the lamplight of history to illuminate the footpaths of their future. . . . Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., once wrote that a sense of history “is not a duty, but a necessity.” At a time when America´s armed forces have greater diversity, confront situations with more ethical complexity, and face increased public scrutiny, they will inevitably find it necessary to call on history for guidance. The Beitler Foundation, in answering that need, helps our servicemen and women to inform their duty with perspective, wisdom, and a respect for justice.
Sincerely,
William S. Cohen
United States Secretary of Defense
The Dreyfus Affair: Voices of Honor. United StatesMilitaryAcademy, West Point, New York. Exhibition catalogue. September 17-October 30, 1999.
W
e are thrilled to be a partner in the display of Dr Lorraine Beitler´s critically important exhibition about the trial, conviction, and exoneration of French Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus. . . . a tragic example of how prejudice can run amuck under the cloak of national security concerns . . . We must study cases like those of Dreyfus and Flipper to ensure that discipline and securityare never used as excuses to justify racial or religious prejudices. We must continue to learn to appreciate differences and use diversity within our Army to make it stronger. . . .
Lieutenant General Daniel W. Christman
Superintendent, United StatesMilitaryAcademy, West Point
The Dreyfus Affair: Voices of Honor. United StatesMilitaryAcademy, West Point, New York. Exhibition catalogue. September 17-October 30, 1999.
O
ne hundred years later . . . the War Academy takes pride in opening its doors to this exhibition, in homage not only to Major Dreyfus, but also to the officials, politicians, journalists, and people of France who rose up in indignation when the injustice was revealed and who supported truth and justice. We recognize that the Dreyfus Affair retains its contemporaneity, urging us to maintain vigilance against discrimination and lies and the necessity of transmitting this mandate to younger generations of civilians and military personnel.
Brigadier General Nèstor Hernán Pèrez Vovard
Director, Escuela Superior de Guerra, Tte. Gral. Luis Mará Campos
“Dreyfus: verdad y justicia.” Escuela Superior de Guerra, Buenos Aires. December 3-14, 2001.
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s Consul General of Belgium in New York, I am greatly honored to have played a role in bringing this exhibit entitled “The Dreyfus Affair: Voices of Honor” to Belgium. . . . The goal of the Beitler Family Foundation in focusing international attention on the Dreyfus Affair is to provoke each and everyone of us in all parts of the world, strifetorn or not, to examine our consciences so that we may someday be able to rid our planet of the dreadful prejudice and racism that surround us even today.
Though social injustice and intolerance . . . seem an eternal curse we cannot lift, this exhibit serves to remind us that we each have within us the power to change things, just as the men and women who raised their “Voices of Honor” did, when they went against the tides of the time and, without regard to consequences, stood up for social justice and tolerance. May we all be inspired by their courage.
H.E. Madame Ingeborg Kristofferson
Consul General of Belgium to New York
Salutation read at the Inauguration of L´Afaire Dreyfus: les voix de l´honneur/De zaak-Dreyfus… en zij verhieven hun stem. Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels. February 10, 2000.
Just a little more than one hundred years ago, on January 13, 1898 to be exact, Emile Zola published hisfamous J´Accuse in the French journal, L´Aurore. In writing this incendiary article, the novelist laid to paper his indignation, his thirst for justice, and above all his courage.
Courage to go against the current of a majority opinion which had dragged Dreyfus down into the mud and shame. . . . My wish is that this exhibition of exceptional documents tracing the Dreyfus Affair be a rare tool with regard to the perennial necessity of assuming conscience. . . . A century later, the Dreyfus Affair should remain exemplary, particularly for the young. . . .
Rudy Demotte
Ministre de l´Economie et de la Recherche scientifique
The Undeniable Role of the Capacity for Indignation. L´Afaire Dreyfus: les voix de l´honneur/De zaak-Dreyfus… en zij verhieven hun stem. Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels. Exhibition catalogue. February 10-March 11, 2000.
I
n visiting this exhibition devoted to the Dreyfus Affair, I cannot remain content with the interested regard of the historian or the curiosity of a bystander avid for sensational facts. Everything here speaks of today and questions me directly. This event, which divided France at the end of the nineteenth century, retains in effect an astonishing contemporaneity so revealing is it of the sentimentswhich boil in the hearts of humanity and which instigate mass movements and social outbreaks. . . . An affair of the past, but a reality still present in today´s world!
Le Chanoine Pierre de Locht
From Fanaticism to Benevolence. L´Afaire Dreyfus: les voix de l´honneur/De zaak-Dreyfus… en zij verhieven hun stem. Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels. Exhibition catalogue. February 10-March 11,2000.
Commentary
I
am delighted to begin the new year by thanking you for the official transfer of your extraordinary collection to the University of Pennsylvania Library. . . . The lessons of this collection are invaluable--and never more timely. Ours is a world that needs to be reminded of the importance of tolerance, and the Dreyfus Affair is an especially effective reminder . . . thank you for this very meaningful and enduring gift.
Judith Rodin
President of the University of Pennsylvania, January 2003
D
reyfus and Zola: A Moment in the Conscience of the World is more than a recollection of past persons and events of one century ago. For a wide public, and for students of Jewish history alike, this exhibition has primary didactic significance, especially in countries like Poland, which still struggle with historical conscience. The impressive collection of documents, set within their wider historical context, bring to the fore essential questions concerning injustice, intolerance, and personal bravery versus collective crimes. Dr Beitler´s interests in education led to the development of the Dreyfus Collection and its series of international exhibitions. As Special Advisor to the Research Center for the Culture and Languages of the Polish Jews of the University of Wroclaw, she has been the source of several initiatives in educational programming for presentations at Krakow, Auschwitz, and Warsaw. These exhibitions speak to us of much more than the “Affair” and one episode in French history.
Marcin Wodzinski
Director, Research Centre for the Culture & Language of the PolishJewsWroclawUniversity, December 2004
“Zola i sprawa Dreyfusa: chwila w sumieniu ludzkosci. Wystawa z kolekcji Dreyfusa Lorraine Beitler z uniwersytetu Pen ylwanskiego.” Gmina Wyznaniowa Zydowska, Wroclaw. October 26-November 28, 2003.
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s we look back on the Affair and its material culture, let us not lose sight of the nobility of the Dreyfusard cause . . . During the Affair, as illustrated by this remarkable exhibition, first a handful of brave men and women, and then increasing numbers of ordinary citizens, supported a Jewish officer falsely condemned and persecuted by those who abused their power . . . These campaigners stood up for truth, justice, and the rights of the individual. Not a bad agenda, and not one we can afford to ignore.
Professor Michael R. Marrus
Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto
Introduction. Dreyfus and Zola: A Moment in the Conscience of the World. University Art Centre, University of Toronto. September 14-December 10, 2000.
T
he Dreyfus Affair was a pivotal moment in Zola´s career, but it was not something that was richly documented in the Library´s collection. Hence the appeal of the marvelous array of visual and textual materials assembled by Dr Lorraine Beitler . . . Above all, the Library deeply appreciates the generosity, energy, and commitment of Dr Beitler. Her intelligence, determination, and moral vision are evident throughout the show. We thank her for sharing both her collection and her sense of purpose with us . . .
Michael Ryan
Director, Annenberg Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Zola and the Dreyfus Affair: Intellectuals and the Struggle for Social Justice. Rosenwald Gallery, University of Pennsylvania. October 2-December 3, 2001.
A
ls Vertreter der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika freue ich mich sehr, dass diese Ausstellung zur Affäre Dreyfus--auf Basis der von Dr. Lorraine Beitler zusammengestellten und durch die Bibliothek der University of Pennsylvania archivierten Exponate--erstmalig in Deutschland gezeigt wird. Es is durchaus bemerkenswert, dass sich eine amerikanische Sammlerin so intensiv mit einem französischen Thema beschäftigt--aber diese vermeintlich innerfranzösische Angelegenheit ging weit über die Landesgrenzen hinaus und markiert ein bis aktuelles Phänomen: Intoleranz und Vorurteile gegenüber Minderheiten waren und sind immer Anzeichen einer Gesellschaftstruktur, die ihren freiheitlich demokratischen Weg noch nicht gefunden hat oder sich von diesem wegbewegt. Möge diese Ausstellung eine grosse Zahl von Besuchern, inbesondere jungen Menschen, finden.
John A. Cloud
Gesandter der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika
Geleitworte, "J'Accuse...! . . . ich klage an! Zur Affäre Dreyfus: eine dokumentation."
Wanderausstellung in Deutschland. Exhibition catalogue, Moses Mendelssohn Zentrum,
Potsdam, May-November 2005.
E
s ist uns daher ein besonderes Anliegen, diejenigen Offiziere, die wir förderndbegletein, anhand der Ausstellun, die uns durch Frau Professor Beitler und die Universität von Phildadelphia zugänglich gemacht wurde, mit der Tragik des Falles Dreyfus zu konfrontieren. Ich wünsche der Ausstellung auf ihrem Weg durch Deutschland, dass sie ihre Botschaft der Toleranz, Wahrheit und Gerechtigkeit erfolgreich
Lothar Golgert
Honorargeneralkonsul
Geleitworte, "J'Accuse...! . . . ich klage an! Zur Affäre Dreyfus: eine dokumentation."
Wanderausstellung in Deutschland. Exhibition catalogue, Moses Mendelssohn Zentrum,
Potsdam, May-November 2005.