In the pre-modern Poland the Jewish-run tavern was often the center of leisure, hospitality, business and even religious festivities. As liquor became the region’s boom industry, Jewish tavern keepers became integral to both local economies and local social life. Nevertheless, reformers and government officials sought to drive Jews out of the liquor trade. Newly discovered archival sources demonstrate that nobles often helped their Jewish tavern keepers evade fees, bans and expulsions. The result – a vast underground Jewish liquor trade – reflects an impressive level of local Polish Jewish co-existence that contrasts with the more familiar story of anti-Semitism and violence