The Forgotten Story of the Jewish Tavernkeepers of Poland and Russia

While Jews imagining their East European past are unlikely to think of their ancestors eating and drinking alongside Christians in Jewish-owned establishments, the most famous Jew in Polish literature is a tavernkeeper. Because of Polish landowners’ desire to lease their rights to distill liquor to Jews, and itinerant Jewish merchants’ need for kosher food, nearly half of 18th-century Polish Jews were involved in the liquor or tavern-keeping business in some way. Glenn Dynner, in conversation with Nachi Weinstein, explains how the history of the Jewish tavern exposes much about the nature of East European society, anti-Semitism, and even the development of Jewish law.