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The Lorraine Beitler Collection of the Dreyfus Affair Distinguished Lecture Series

In 2002, Dr. Lorraine Beitler donated a collection of over 1,000 items documenting the history of the Alfred Dreyfus affair and its impact on the art, society, and politics of France and the modern world.

A few years later, Dr. Beitler and her husband, Martin, established the Lorraine Beitler Lecture Fund to serve as a catalyst for the examination of the issues of prejudice and intolerance. The first lecture was held in 2007, and lectures have been presented on an annual or semi-annual basis since then.

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Upcoming Events

Dec 04
  • Lecture
Open to the Public

The Dreyfus Affair and the Transformation of Jewish Identity

The Dreyfus Affair transformed French society, and the nature of Jewish identity, at the end of the nineteenth century. This lecture, by Maurice Samuels, Professor of French, Yale University, the author of Alfred Dreyfus: The Man at the Center of the Affair (2024), explores Jewish reactions to the Affair in different national contexts.

  • December 4, 2024
  • 5:30pm - 7:30pm
  • Kislak Center Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, 6th Floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
Black and white portrait of man wearing jacket and hat

Past Lectures

Nov 29
  • Lecture
Open to the Public

Children and Prejudice

A panel discussion with Heather Camlot and Fashina Aladé, moderated by Jonathan Zimmerman, exploring the role of literature and the media in helping children overcome prejudice and become sensitive and critical consumers of information.

  • November 29, 2023
  • 6:00pm - 7:30pm
  • Zoom
Cover, The Prisoner and the Writer
Nov 30
  • Lecture
Open to the Public

Defending Dreyfus: The First Modern Fight Against Antisemitism

In the inaugural Lorraine Beitler Research Fellow Lecture, Professor Lauren Lockshin will trace how a small group of allies coalesced to combat antisemitism in defence of accused military officer Alfred Dreyfus.

  • November 30, 2022
  • 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, 6th floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library and via Zoom [Hybrid event]
Front page of La Libre Parole, 14 November 1894
May 16
  • Lecture
Open to the Public

Trumped

Cartooning in the Wind of the Donald Trump Presidency

  • Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 5:30 pm @ Orrery Pavilion
  • 5:30pm - 6:30pm
  • Orrery Pavilion, Kislak Center, 6th Floor Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
Caricature self portrait of Wilkinson.
May 16
  • Lecture
Open to the Public

Crisis in Criminal Justice

Mass Incarceration and the Impact of DNA Science on the Phenomenon of Wrongful Convictions

  • Tuesday, May 16, 2017, 5:30 PM
  • 5:30pm - 6:30pm
  • Orrery Pavilion, Kislak Center, 6th Floor Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
Le Cri, lithograph from Hommage des artistes à Picquart (1899)
Apr 07
  • Lecture
Open to the Public

The Relevance of Dreyfus in the Age of ISIS

Beitler Collection Distinguished Lecture 

  • Thursday, April 7, 2016; 5:30 pm
  • 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Orrery Pavilion, Kislak Center, 6th Floor Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
Cover of Willful Blindness
Apr 19
  • Lecture
Open to the Public

Human Rights in the 21st Century

Join us in discussing issues of international human rights and justice in the preceding and coming centuries.

  • Sunday, April 19, 2009, 1:00-3:00PM @ Cohen Auditorium, Claudia Cohen Hall
  • 1:00pm - 3:00pm
  • Cohen Auditorium, Claudia Cohen Hall
Le Cri, lithograph from Hommage des artistes à Picquart (1899)

Featured Image: Composite image of type from broadside Dreyfus est innocent (France, 1898), Lorraine Beitler Collection of the Dreyfus Affair, Kislak Center

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