Tuesday
October 5, 1926
Yidishes ṭageblaṭṭ = The Jewish daily news (New York, N.Y.) — New York City, New York
“When Feds Went After Rabbis: The Prohibition Wine Scandal of 1926”
Art Deco mural for October 5, 1926
Original newspaper scan from October 5, 1926
Original front page — Yidishes ṭageblaṭṭ = The Jewish daily news (New York, N.Y.) — Click to enlarge
Full-size newspaper scan
What's on the Front Page

The front page of this Yiddish daily explodes with a federal crackdown on rabbis selling sacramental wine during Prohibition. A grand jury is investigating 60 rabbis and religious leaders accused of selling wine for religious purposes to non-congregation members, violating the Volstead Act. Federal Prohibition Administrator Blair and Commissioner of Internal Revenue have evidence that many rabbis ignored their instructions and sold wine to anyone who came to buy, keeping no records of sales and using false permits to obtain wine from warehouses. Three rabbis have already been indicted, with Federal District Attorney Buckner declaring his office has launched a campaign to shut down the system allowing rabbis to sell wine to everyone. Meanwhile, international tensions simmer as police in Chernivtsi (then Czernowitz) raided a Jewish workers' club without cause, arresting 15 Jewish workers. The American Federation of Labor opened its 46th convention in Detroit, with President Green reporting strong employment but calling for religious tolerance in America and Mexico, and pushing for a five-day work week.

Why It Matters

These stories capture the contradictions of 1920s America perfectly. Prohibition was creating unexpected enforcement challenges - even religious wine sales were under federal scrutiny, showing how the "noble experiment" was breeding corruption and overreach. Meanwhile, anti-Semitic tensions were rising both abroad and at home, while labor was gaining strength and confidence to demand shorter work weeks. This was an America grappling with modernization, religious freedom, workers' rights, and the unintended consequences of moral legislation - all themes that would define the decade and contribute to its eventual collapse.

Hidden Gems
  • The paper lists daily exchange rates showing how weak European currencies were: 1 German reichsmark was worth just 28.81 cents, while 10,000 Hungarian crowns equaled only 144.4 cents - revealing the devastating post-WWI inflation
  • A mining disaster in Tennessee killed 32 miners at the Roane Iron Company's coal mine, with 4 bodies recovered and 28 still trapped three miles underground with little hope of rescue
  • The weather forecast promises rain today, with sunrise at 6:00 AM and sunset at 7:00 PM - showing how even basic daily information filled precious newspaper space
  • Ship arrivals are announced, including the Majestic from Southampton and the Republic from Hamburg - highlighting how immigrant communities tracked loved ones crossing the Atlantic
  • William Dwyer, convicted bootlegger sentenced to two years for violating the Volstead Act, got a hearing for his appeal scheduled for December 6th and is free on bail
Fun Facts
  • Senator James Wadsworth, mentioned as campaigning against Prohibition, would indeed lose his re-election bid in 1926 partly due to his anti-Prohibition stance - voters weren't ready to abandon the 'noble experiment' yet
  • The American Federation of Labor's call for a five-day work week was radical - Henry Ford had just instituted the practice in 1922, and it wouldn't become standard until the 1930s
  • Those rabbis selling sacramental wine were exploiting one of Prohibition's few legal loopholes - religious wine was permitted, but enforcement was spotty, leading to exactly this kind of federal crackdown
  • The exchange rate showing Hungarian crowns at 144.4 cents per 10,000 reflects the hyperinflation devastating Central Europe - Hungary's currency had lost 99% of its value since WWI
  • Arthur Dushman, the Jewish painter mentioned as dying in Cleveland, had gained fame in Europe 30 years earlier - showing how immigrant communities tracked the deaths of cultural figures from the old country
Contentious Roaring Twenties Prohibition Prohibition Crime Corruption Crime Trial Religion Labor Union
October 4, 1926 October 6, 1926

Also on October 5

View all 12 years →

Wake Up to History

Every morning: one front page from exactly 100 years ago, with context, hidden gems, and an original Art Deco mural. Free.

Subscribe Free