Beer history is full of things lost and recovered and, in this conversation, you will hear stories of Jewish brewery ownership, labor, and loss. Widening the historical lens, Michael and Peter Stein will guide you through stories and research of Jews brewing and owning breweries in the lands of Slovakia, Galicia, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.

The substantial participation of Jews in the beer industries of Eastern and Western Europe was completely stopped by the militarized attacks of Nazi Germany, the arrests, and deportations to concentration camps of most of the Jews of Europe. Of the 9 million Jewish men, women, and children in Europe before WWII, 6 million were killed during the Holocaust. In other words, two thirds of all Jews perished because of Nazi policies and actions. Using Raul Hillberg's typology to explore Holocaust groups, Perpetrators, Victims, Bystanders, Resisters, and Rescuers/Liberators, this presentation will discuss the role of Jews in breweries and the brewing trades before, during, and after the Holocaust.

Michael Stein, MFA is the Senior staff writer at DCBeer.com and the President and founder of Lost Lagers.

Peter Stein is the former Co-Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at William Paterson University. Dr. Stein serves as a Volunteer Survivor at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC and is the author of A Boy's Journey: From Nazi-Occupied Prague to Freedom in America.