I find this contract very interesting and confusing. Maybe someone
can explain. Read on.

My grandfather was in the business in Plaucza Wielka, a small
village near Kozlow and Zborow in what is now Ukraine. Although I
have no documents, my grandfather had the leasehold to grow the
grain, produce the spirits, and operate the village tavern. My
father and his brothers indicated that this was a prosperous
business. In 1909, my father's eldest brother, at age 17, left the
fold and immigrated to New York, followed by another brother in
1913, and two other brothers, including my father, in 1921. All
his sons left my 60 year old grandfather.

Until I started documenting the family history, I never knew why
the four brothers emigrated, leaving their parents and sisters
behind. One day I read (cannot recall where) that in 1909 a law
was passed in Galicia prohibiting Jews >from selling alcoholic
beverages starting in 1910. I though that explained my family's
emigration. If this was true throughout Galicia, how could Solomon
Deresiewicz lease such a business in 1911, when Moses Halpern
could not?

By the way, for those near Philadelphia, Dr. Glenn Dynner of Sarah
Lawrence College will speak at Beth Shalom Congregation in Elkins
Park, PA on "Jews in the Liquor Trade in Nineteenth-Century Poland."
as part of the Penn (University of Pennsylvania) Lectures in Judaic
Studies. The lecture -- on Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 p.m. -- is
free and open to the public. Hopefully, Dr. Dynner will be able to
also speak to 20th Century Galicia. For details see
<http://www.cjs.upenn.edu/public/2009/lectures.html> .

Thanks in advance for any insight on this issue.

Mark Halpern
West Chester, PA, USA

Gene Dershewitz wrote:

My grandfather, Solomon Deresiewicz, leased a tavern business
in 1911 in the village of Kamienica SE of Krakow. I was fortunate
to inherit the actual legal document describing the transaction.
Although written in Polish "legalise" it does make interesting
reading. You can view this document at:

<http://flickr.com/photos/38197980@N00/sets/72157608218653461/detail/> ...