Masechet Prohibition—a parody on the Prohibition-era in the US—first edition, New York 1929.

Masechet Prohibition—a parody on the Prohibition-era in the US—first edition, New York 1929.

Masechet Prohibition “from the Talmud Batli with commentary by the Kondes and the Tosefet Chadashot”—a comical parody on the dry period of Prohibition in the US during the 1920s, by Gershon Kish. First edition. 20 leaves. Created with a page formatting and style of language mirroring that of the Shas and the commentaries.

At the beginning the author apologizes and makes clear that he does not intend to make light of the religious original but rather as an avenue to express his creativity. Original, printed binding is detached. Overall good condition.

Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933. Prohibitionists first attempted to end the trade in alcoholic drinks during the 19th century. Led by pietistic Protestants, they aimed to heal what they saw as an ill society beset by alcohol-related problems such as alcoholism, family violence and saloon-based political corruption. Many communities introduced alcohol bans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and enforcement of these new prohibition laws became a topic of debate. Prohibition supporters, called "drys", presented it as a battle for public morals and health. The movement was taken up by progressives in the Prohibition, Democratic and Republican parties, and gained a national grassroots base through the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

After 1900, it was coordinated by the Anti-Saloon League. Opposition from the beer industry mobilized "wet" supporters from the wealthy Catholic and German Lutheran communities, but the influence of these groups receded from 1917 following the entry of the US into the First World War against Germany. The alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures, and finally ended nationwide under the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920, which passed "with a 68 percent supermajority in the House of Representatives and 76 percent support in the Senate" as well as ratification by 46 out of 48 states. Enabling legislation, known as the Volstead Act, set down the rules for enforcing the federal ban and defined the types of alcoholic beverages that were prohibited.

Not all alcohol was banned; for example, religious use of wine was permitted. Private ownership and consumption of alcohol were not made illegal under federal law, but local laws were stricter in many areas, with some states banning possession outright. Many abused the system, and unlicensed imposters and agents exploited loopholes in the law to produce and buy wine. The combination of the persecution of the Jews and difficult living conditions, together with sharp Talmudic minds has spawned, for centuries, an ironic and sometimes even satirical sense of humor like this essay before us. Many times, these writings reflect the periods in which they were written with secret references to current affairs.