Gangsters Vs. Nazis by Michael Benson

Gangsters Vs. Nazis: How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis In Wartime America by Michael Benson

This story seems like the overactive imagination of a scriptwriter, proving that the truth is stranger than fiction.

While the Nazi menace was gripping Germany in the days leading up to World War II, sympathizers in the United States were not idle. Pro-Nazi rallies were held in major cities, which supported Hitler and spewed out vicious anti-Semitism. The law seemed unable to stop them because they hid behind the right of free speech.

During this period, Jewish gangsters rose to power. Jewish boys often looked up to these mobsters for their toughness and refusal to be pushed around. It is interesting that many Jewish men in this story trained as boxers or were involved in boxing.

The Nazi threat in New York City quickly developed into a crisis that had to be addressed before its hatred spread into mainstream American culture as it had in Germany. It had already captured the minds of famous Americans like Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh. However, the legal channels proved ineffective. There appeared to be no way to halt this danger to the Jewish community and the foundational values of America.

Special Sessions Judge Nathan David Perlman was determined to stop this threat. If the police were powerless, he would turn to a group that was not. He wanted an army, preferably a Jewish one, to confront the Nazis. He called one of the biggest crime figures in New York City, Meyer Lansky. When Judge Perlman met with Lansky, he brought along a Rabbi for support. What the Judge and the Rabbi wanted was a group of Jewish men who would disrupt Nazi meetings and give them a beating they would not forget. Lansky was more than willing to assemble a crew, but a little disappointed when the Judge and the Rabbi insisted that there be no killing. They could be as violent as they wanted as long as no one died. Lansky agreed.

Michael Benson does a good job of telling this story and explores the backgrounds of the main characters. This is a strange chapter in American history where villains became heroes without ever ceasing to be villains. One wonders how differently things might have unfolded if the Nazis had been allowed to establish a strong presence in America.

One word of warning: Mr. Benson does feel the need to occasionally drop the “F” bomb and sprinkle in some other profanity throughout the book, although the Lord’s Name is not used in vain.

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