COJECO Academy of Jewish Heritage Lecture

It may be surprising, but Jews have a long history of involvement in the alcohol industry in Israel, Europe, and North America. In his new presentation, Dr. Yigal Kotler will discuss what alcoholic beverages Jews drank in ancient times and how the Sages of the Talmud regarded alcohol. He will also talk about the widespread Jewish involvement in winemaking in medieval Europe, and how the Jews became main wine suppliers to England. Dr. Kotler will address a phenomenon of the Jewish tavern known as shinok in the Pale of Settlement, the myth of the Russian people being soldered by the Jews, the clandestine mafia whiskey supply to America during the Prohibition, the supposed Jewish “anti-alcohol gene”, and more.