BOOKS: DREYFUS: A Family Affair

• Published in: The Jewish exponent Vol. 192; no. 8
• Main Author: Beerman, Jill S
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Jewish Exponent 21.08.1992
• Subjects: Burns, Michael; Crime; Dreyfus, Alfred; Entertainment; Justice; Law; War crimes; Devil's Island; France
• ISSN: 0021-6437

The [Alfred Dreyfus] family had its roots in Alsace-Lorraine, and with emancipation, became passionate French patriots. But with citizenship came the pressure to assimilate. Until his religion made Dreyfus a target, he seems to have regarded himself as a Frenchman first. In 1870, Alfred Dreyfus watched from his house as the Germans marched into Alsace. From that day on, he wanted to be a soldier. He and his brother Mathieu were sent to Paris for their schooling. A diligent student, Dreyfus made it through military training and was commissioned as an artillery officer. He married and had two children. Up to the day he was arrested, there was little to distinguish him from his fellow officers, except his religion. Having handed down a guilty verdict on flimsy evidence, the army faced embarrassment and a loss of confidence if it admitted that it might have made a mistake. To the military, upholding Dreyfus' conviction became a matter of national security. Even when the new evidence clearly exonerated Dreyfus, the army stood fast.