Alexander Dolitsky: It takes courage to confront antisemitism and Islamic terrorism

By ALEXANDER DOLITSKY 

Oct. 16, 2026 – Courage is the ability to face fear, discomfort, or danger. It involves acting through adversity, whether dealing with physical hardship, moral opposition, or personal loss. Essentially, courage means doing what is right or necessary, even when it is difficult or frightening. An example includes speaking up against injustice or standing by one’s values despite facing opposition or harsh consequences. This might involve refusing to follow a group doing wrong, or simply stepping up to help someone in need.

Historically, the famous Dreyfus Affair exemplified courage and determination, sweeping through late 19th-century France and challenging the nation’s foundational ideals of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.” The crisis began with an 1894 espionage trial in which Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish artillery officer in the French army, was wrongfully convicted of treason for allegedly passing military secrets to Germany. Sentenced to life in solitary confinement, Dreyfus was banished to Devil’s Island, a notorious French penal colony off the remote coast of South America.

This miscarriage of justice raised a haunting question: how could such a betrayal happen in 19th-century France—a nation where Jews were legally equal citizens?

On Jan. 13, 1898, the most famous front page in journalistic history appeared in the French newspaper L’Aurore (The Dawn) beneath a two-word headline: “J’accuse…!” (I Accuse! Jewish Virtual Library). In a fearless open letter, France’s leading novelist, Émile Zola (1840–1902), accused the government of orchestrating the conviction of an innocent Jewish military officer, Alfred Dreyfus. Zola’s brave article immediately split French society into two fierce factions: the Dreyfusards and anti-Dreyfusards.

Zola deliberately sought to provoke the French government into prosecuting him for libel, knowing that a public trial would force the exculpatory facts of the Dreyfus case into the open. As a result, Zola himself was convicted of criminal libel and sentenced to prison. To evade incarceration, Zola fled to England, arriving with no luggage, meager resources, and no fluency in English. He lived in exile for nearly a year before it was safe to return to France. While Dreyfus was finally vindicated in 1906, the victory came four years too late for Zola, who had died in 1902.

At the heart of the Dreyfus Affair was a toxic, rapidly growing wave of antisemitism in France. This scandal and its accompanying prejudice contributed significantly to the rise of Theodor Herzl and the modern Zionist movement.

Zionism emerged as a nationalist and political movement advocating for the establishment and maintenance of a Jewish state in the historic Land of Israel. Witnessing the Dreyfus Affair, convinced Herzl of the urgent need for a sovereign Jewish homeland. This vision was ultimately realized on May 14, 1948, with the declaration of independence by Jewish leadership—a move that drew political legitimacy and authority from the United Nations partition plan passed the previous year.

History frequently repeats itself. Today, much of the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel rhetoric masks a deep-rooted, global antisemitism. This prejudice persists regardless of who speaks out for or against Israel. It endures despite the captivity of the Jewish and Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas from October 2023 to January 2026, and the recent attempted terrorist attack on flydubai flight 1073.

During a Sept. 30, 2026, flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a radicalized Muslim co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, tried to crash an aircraft carrying 174 mostly Israeli passengers. Fortunately, the flydubai flight was saved by its wounded Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, and quick-thinking Israeli passengers—including a plumber and a dentist—who subdued the Omani co-pilot

Through private correspondence, my good, longtime friend had the courage and intelligence to clearly assess both the current situation in our country regarding this subject and the lack of courage on the part of American Jewry in confronting antisemitism:

“It is truly surprising how silent most Jews seem today regarding the widespread antisemitism sweeping the United States and Europe. The Juneau synagogue does not seem unusual in that respect. Many Jews, at least in the United States, likely find it confusing to be so strongly committed to the Democratic Party, only to see that party embrace the Palestinian cause despite its extreme and violent antisemitism. Perhaps this is an example of how people can become trapped by their political self-image. Still, one would think that many Jews would be questioning their unswerving allegiance to a political party by now.

“Your points in the article, ”Free Palestine’ is a call to destroy Israel and exterminate Jews,’ regarding the historical background of Middle Eastern nations provide a crucial perspective. Very few people today, myself included, are familiar with this history. Most people simply assume these countries have ancient origins like many of the world’s major powers. Without the region’s petroleum reserves, these nations might still be underdeveloped. Yet, despite Israel’s deep historical claims to its homeland and nationhood, it faces the disadvantage of being a minority—a peaceful society surrounded by violent religious extremism, having essentially established its modern borders through political fiat after World War II. Under these conditions, it is entirely understandable why current global politics are deeply distressing to Jewish people everywhere.”

Critics argue that phrases like “Free Palestine,” “political resistance,” “stop the genocide,” and “end the occupation” are more than mere slogans. Instead, some commentators and advocacy groups contend that this language carries genocidal rhetoric with historical parallels. From this perspective, opposing these movements and what critics describe as their antisemitic agenda is essential for achieving peace, regardless of one’s political or religious alignment.

The author was born and raised in the former Soviet Union before settling in the U.S. in 1978. He moved to Juneau in 1986 where he taught Russian studies and Archaeology at the University of Alaska Southeast, and Social Studies Teacher at the Alyeska Central School of the Alaska Department of Education. From 1990 to 2022, he served as a director and president of the Alaska-Siberia Research Center, publishing in the fields of anthropology, history, archaeology and ethnography. Find him on Amazon.com.

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