On this day in 1894, French Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus was arrested for espionage. After a closed trial, in which no material evidence against the captain surfaced, he was found guilty of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island. Throughout the next three years, Dreyfus’ family struggled to publicize and reverse the unfair verdict, aided by the efforts of French Army Major Georges Picquart, who discovered the true culprit, and journalist Emile Zola, who believed in Dreyfus’ innocence.
In 1899, Dreyfus was pardoned, but not exonerated, and the five-year process to regain his freedom brought the undercurrents of ultra-nationalism and antisemitism bubbling beneath the exterior of French society to the fore. To many, including Austrian journalist Theodor Herzl, the Dreyfus Affair heralded the end of Jewish life in Europe. In order to survive and thrive, Jews would need to leave Europe behind. For Herzl, this meant that Jews had to embrace Zionism—the creation of a Jewish state. For countless others, this meant migration to a continent more welcoming to Jews in America.
As we prepare to enter election season, Dreyfus’ fate reminds us of the rare historical privilege we enjoy as citizens of a country that continues to embrace Jews as equal citizens under the law. By exercising our right to vote, we acknowledge and celebrate that privilege.
— Rabbi Josh Knobel