A little over a month ago, a small but interesting exhibit on the Dreyfus Affair opened at the Yeshiva University Museum in Manhattan. The exhibit, which was made possible in conjunction with the Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme in Paris, illustrates the infamous arrest and trial of Alfred Dreyfus, from the very beginning to the consequences that are still felt in France over 100 years later. The exhibit also utilizes original documents, newspaper articles, artwork, artifacts, and a series of never-before-seen photographs, which were found in the possession of a member of the Dreyfus family.
In the late 1890s, the effects of the Dreyfus Affair on French society were widespread, and divided the population. At the time, the event even had reverberations in the art world, as noted in The Jewish Museum’s new exhibit on Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. Nowadays, many in France—a country that has, historically, had its fair share of anti-Semitism—feel it is especially necessary to look back on the Dreyfus Affair as a reminder of the past.
As part of the exhibit, the Yeshiva University Museum will be holding two public programs. The first, a night of readings titled “From the Depths of My Heart: The Letters of Alfred and Lucie Dreyfus,” will take place on November 29th. The second, an international conference organized with the Cardozo School of Law, will take place on February 5, 2008.