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Why Jews are loving Mitt Romney’s Easter photo (plus the tragic story of Kedem winery)

At one point the family behind Kedem was the exclusive wine supplier to Emperor Franz Josef.
A bottle of Kedem sparkling grape juice sits on Sen. Mitt Romney's Easter table. (Courtesy: Twitter)

There was a Jewish “guest” at Sen. Mitt Romney’s Easter table.

Cyber sleuths were quick to point out that among the dishes and food on the table were bottles of Kedem sparkling grape juice.

Close up of Mitt Romney’s Easter table.

Romney, who is Mormon, abstains from consuming alcoholic beverages and seems to enjoy the Hebrew school beverage of choice for practice kiddush.

About Kedem

Rabbi Menachem Herzog founded the family’s distillery in the early 19th century. (Courtesy: herzogwine.com)

Kedem Winery is owned by the Herzog family, a pillar in the kosher wine world, and the brand produces more than 1 million cases of kosher wine and grape juice annually. The company’s vineyards are located in Marlboro, New York.

The Herzog family got into the wine business in 1848 in an area that is now present-day Slovakia, which back then was part of Austro-Hungarian Empire. At one point the family was the exclusive wine supplier to Emperor Franz Josef, an appointment which earned Phillip Herzog the royal title of baron.

During World War II, the Herzog winery was seized by the Nazis and the family went into hiding. Phillip’s grandson, Eugene, survived the Holocaust, but his parents were murdered at Auschwitz.

After the war Eugene and his family immigrated to the United States after the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia and got into the wine business in New York City, eventually funding the Kedem Winery brand.

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