Dreyfusgate

ACTIVITIES

2. OPTIONS

Goal

1. Divide everyone into three groups and distribute materials.
2. Ask them to look for and define three different positions taken by the Jewish community with regard to the Affair and sum each up in one short sentence. Their summary should look something like this:
   a] Rejection, i.e. total assimilation
   b] Caution
   c] Jewish nationalism as personified by Bernard Lazare.

3. Each group is asked to take on one of these standpoints and draw up an outline of a person who lived in 1900 (name, occupation, where he was from) with the point of view he represents.

   Below are some indications of possible outlines:

   a] Assimilated Jew:
   Fervently opposed to any review of the Affair; determined to bring down the "Jewish power syndicate" by moving totally into French society and rejecting any cultural distinctions. The choice is between France and any "abominable confessional solidarity". The religion of France is superior to any other.

   b] The Cautious Jew:
   The Jews have an interest in the public forgetting it all as soon as possible. We should abide by the verdict and leave it behind us. Non-involvement in the aftermath; not to encourage others to think we support Dreyfus because he is/we are Jewish; any action draws antisemitism.

   c] Jewish Nationalist:
   The Dreyfus Affair is proof that assimilation does not remove antisemitism any more than emancipation did. Dreyfus never publicly referred to the fact he was Jewish. It is up to us to give him support and also defend the rights of Jews in general.

4. Distribute slips or cards with names and descriptions of imaginary young people today. Each group now creates a skit or other presentation (cartoon, debate, interview) where the personality from 1900 meets his great-grandchild from 1994.

Cards

• newly-married to a non-Jewish spouse
• going on aliya
• supports an extreme right-wing party
• moves from Israel to New York
• student of Philosophy, who meets people interested in Jewish philosophy, then into involvement with the synagogue and from there starts frequenting Lubavitch circles.