H2: Jewish Gangsters

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Post 1945

The Urban ghettoes that spawned these
men no longer contain Jews. Jews moved to
the suburbs, sent their children to Universities and became
part of America's economic, educational and occupational elite. Third and fourth generation American Jews no longer needed crime to "make it". Jewish gangsters did not want the members of their families to go into their business. The Jewish community, although sometimes grateful for the gangsters help with charitable work and physical protection against antisemites, still strongly condemned the acsent of this tiny minority of Jews. Not only did Jewish gangsters bring the wider community around them into disrepute but most found their actions dispicable and disgraceful.

There are many humorous and gallant stories about gangsters but this fails to show the depravity and violence that the all gangsters were involved in. Murder, corruption, blackmail and physical violence were all necessary components of their occupation. Many Jewish gangsters were killed by others and as with all mafia organisations, no one could be fully trusted. Despite all of this, a part of these men remained a son of immigrants, still tied to his parents, his family, his people and to the American Dream. The light hearted nature of the stories mentioned in this issue are not meant to minimise the viciousness or ruthlessnes of these men. They and their activities were not funny. In no way is the Jewish gangster to be glorified. Yet he was part of the Jewish experience in America and therefore an important part of the Jewish history in that country.

Britain - East End Gangsters

You may like to find out information about Jewish gangsters in this country. The East End was another poor area, similar to the Lower East Side of New York, where hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants lived in the first half of the century. Everyone has a relation who has plenty of stories about the East End. Why not ask them or your parents or grandparents if they knew of anyone who was a gangster.

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