The inspiration for this broadcast comes from a captivating book authored by Professor Glenn Dynner, Yankel’s Tavern: Jews, Liquor, and Life in the Kingdom of Poland. It provides a comprehensive study of Jewish-run taverns in Eastern Europe.

Professor Adam Teller, a scholar of the 17th and 18th centuries, engages us in a closer look at the tavern as one of the main institutions in Eastern European Jewish life. He situates this phenomenon in a broader historical and cultural context.

Ann Toback is passionate about this topic. Connecting to her own Ashkenazi heritage, she brews her own liqueurs and enjoys sharing the legend and lore.