Émile Zola

Émile Zola, a titan of French literature, was many things: a groundbreaking novelist, a keen journalist, and, most notably, a fervent advocate for truth and justice. However, one thing he was not, much to the chagrin of anyone hoping for another literary Jew to claim, was Jewish. His roots were firmly planted in French and Italian soil, completely devoid of any ancestral gefilte fish.

Yet, Zola's most famous act, penning the scorching open letter "J'Accuse…!" in defense of the wrongly accused Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus, earned him an honorary, albeit posthumous, kvell-worthiness. He sacrificed his reputation and faced exile, all for the principle of rectitude, a trait we're always happy to appropriate.

While we can't claim him as one of our own by blood, we can certainly claim him by deed. His unwavering stance against antisemitism and governmental malfeasance during the Dreyfus Affair shines brighter than a freshly polished menorah. A real mensch, even if he didn't know a word of Yiddish.