The Gangs Of New York

There were gangs in New York since the 1800’s. The Plug Uglies, The Bowery Boys were precursors to the Brownsville Gang, who would later become Murder Inc.

They Slithered In

It was 1908, and the Jewish gangsters were in control. Gangs like the Eastman Gang under Max "Kid Twist" Zwerb, and the Five Points Gang, Lenox Avenue Gang, controlled New York.

 

The Most Violent Was The Purple Gang

Jews had multiple gangs, and the Purple Gang out of Detroit was the worst. They grew out of prohibition and bootlegging from Canada. Their favorite areas were bootlegging, gambling, and labor rackets. The Purple Gang was mainly hit-men. They were behind the Lindbergh baby murder.

Murder Incorporated

The term “Syndicate” is often used when talking about organized crime, but it was really Murder Incorporated.

 

Meyer Lansky

He would be considered the Don of Dons.

Lucky Luciano

Luciano, was always said to have a Jewish mother. He meet Lansky when they were kids in New York.

Abraham Reles

The son of Austrian immigrants, was born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York.  When carrying out hits, his weapon of choice was an ice pick, which he would ram through his victim's ear right into the brain.  Reles reportedly got the nickname "Kid Twist" described his method for strangling people.
 

Arthur Flegenheimer

Dutch Schultz was born in New York in 1902, and he made his fortune in bootlegging, prostitution, and murder. Like countless other Jewish gangsters he changed his name.

Louis Lepke

Born Lepkeleh Buchalter in 1897 to European Jewish immigrants Manhattan. He worked for Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro, gradually gaining control of the garment industry unions on the Lower East Side. He used the unions to threaten strikes and demand weekly payments from factory owners while simultaneously dipping into union bank accounts. His control of the unions later evolved into a general protection racket, extending into such areas as bakery trucking. 

Benny Siegel

Siegel was a butcher who worked for Meyer Lansky. 

Murder Inc Goes Nationwide

Eventually, Murder Inc.became national, and made many contracts across the U.S. Their method involved a sayanim who would draw the victim in.

If Abe Benstein wanted to buy a chain of dry cleaners, and an independent wouldn't se3ll, an out of state contract killer was brought in. Popular methods were shooting, strangling, or using an ice pick, and then cremated the body. 

Morris Cohen Out Of Los Angeles

He ran the west coast and was particularly vicious. He handled any Hollywood problems. He was behind the Black Dahlia murder, and made cremation a standard technique.

 

The Saint Valentines Day Massacre

Six of the seven victims were Jewish, and the two killers were from Hymie Weiss gang.

Notable members of Murder Inc. included Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, Frank "Dasher" Abbandando, Louis Capone, Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein, Harry "Happy" Maione, Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, Allie Tannenbaum, Seymour "Blue Jaw" Magoon, Mendy Weiss, and Charles "Charlie the Bug" Workman

Today's Gangsters

John Gotti is typical, a ruthless thug whose mother and wife were Jewish.