Prohibition Wine by Marian Leah Knapp

“Eggs and Whiskey – A Mother’s Grit in the Age of Prohibition”

In 1918, Rebecca Goldberg, a Jewish immigrant in rural Wilmington, Massachusetts, lost her husband in a tragic railroad accident, leaving her with six children to raise on her own. Determined to keep her family together, she relied on the work she knew best—keeping chickens and selling fresh eggs to friends and relatives in Boston. But when Prohibition began in 1920, an unusual suggestion from a customer changed the course of her life: add homemade alcohol to her deliveries.

With raw spirits supplied by her contact, Rebecca transformed them into drinkable liquor and quietly expanded her customer base. It was a risky, illegal venture, but it allowed her to feed her children, keep them in school, and survive an era when opportunity for immigrant women was scarce. This is the compelling true story of a mother’s resilience, ingenuity, and quiet defiance in the face of hardship—set against the backdrop of a turbulent moment in American history.