I’ve never been called a kike, certainly not at Penn. But my grandparents’ generation certainly encountered this hateful label, as do plenty of my co-religionists around the world today.

The only way to counteract this hatred is to inform myself about anti-Semitism and preserve the history of this bigotry. One of the most notorious instances of anti-Semitism in the last 150 years was the Dreyfus Affair, when the French government erroneously convicted Jewish Captain Alfred Dreyfus of treason. Conveniently for Penn students, a prime resource on this period is the Lorraine Beitler Collection, an archive of propagandist art and literature from the late 1890s, housed on the 6th floor of Van Pelt. The collection includes original newspaper clippings, shockingly anti-Semitic cartoons and other political artistry.

“Although the events of the Dreyfus Affair took place one hundred years ago, the issues continue to have contemporary imperative,” Lorraine Beitler, curator of the collection and professor emeritus of the City University of New York said. .

Not only can students explore the threats of anti-Semitism, but they can examine how the press can “shape public opinion” and relate to “the idea of blaming other people for what you are unhappy about.”

Take a look at one of the most appalling cartoons of the era, which appears in its original form among Beitler’s collected pieces:

“Dreyfus le traitre,” from the series entitled Musee des Horreurs, by Lenepveu, 1899. The cartoon appears in its original newspaper form in the Lorraine Beitler Collection at Van Pelt Library.

This famous caricature demonizes Dreyfus and highlights his inhuman, voracious appetite–he became the monstrous representation of all Jews during this epoch. However, Dreyfus persevered and lives on in Beitler’s memorializing collection.

“He had the strength to endure the punishment and the strength to keep saying he’s innocent,” Beitler said. “Never did he say anything disparaging about the justice system of the French government or about the army. He said that his life belongs to France, but the lineage of his name belongs to his children–and that’s why he struggled so hard.”

But perhaps the most chilling thing about the collection is the prevalence of similar cartoons today in the western world.

“Text on man: European commissionership,” from Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, November 8, 2003.

Serpents, towering noses and evil stares — seem eerily familiar? Yet this isn’t another artistic mastery from the height of the Dreyfus Affair. No, the cartoon pictured here is from a contemporary Palestinian newspaper, just one emblem of the brutally anti-Semitic creations that continue to blaze Arab media today.

Tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., Yale Professor Paula Hyman will speak at the exhibit and share her expertise on the Dreyfus Affair, on the 6th floor of Van Pelt Library. Lorraine Beitler, the curator of the collection and professor emeritus of the City University of New York, will attend, as will Yael Ruiz, the great-granddaughter of Dreyfus.

In total the content has traveled to five continents and has been translated into six different languages. The exhibit first came to Penn for a brief stint in 2001, but in 2003 Beitler decided to donate the pieces permanently to the University.

Ultimately, Beitler hopes to help mend the bitter division between Jews and Muslims students on campuses nationwide.

“This is my dream to go further,” she said.

However, with such persistent, dehumanizing hatred, the realization of Beitler’s vision may unfortunately be impossible — for quite a longtime yet to come.

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