Book Review: Tough Jews

As it is not for the first time I hear about the "Jewish gangsters" I was not excited at all by the topic of Rich Cohen's book: Tough Jews. Father, sons and gangsters. Originary from a family with connections with this world, I was expecting a detailed account of the mechanisms and motivations of the individual members of the group.

Although using academic research, the book includes many personal accounts and memories of his father, Herb Cohen, - whose best friend was Larry King, and this could be considered the weak point of the book as they lived in Chicago for a long time and the heart of the gangsters was New York. Also, I didn't like at all the writing style - too abrupt and not captivating at all.

But, at the end of the more than 200 pages, there are some good memories to keep in mind - and explore through other books. One of the most important is the idea of the Jews with guns and wealthy - not the sad and depressive accounts of the immigrants coming to America and fighting to survive. "Jews were bullied in America, but in America Jews could fight back" (p.42), in comparison with the Jews from Europe and far Russia victims of sheer anti-Semitism.

This is an explanation suggested by the author too, that I would like to believe, but for which I didn't find too many convincing, academic explanations in the book.

The fate of the gangsters was sealed and they didn't survive the Second World War. Names as Louis Lepke, Abe Riles, Mendy Weiss, Greenie Greenberg or Buggsy Goldstein remains sources of inspiration for movies or thriller books. And in a way it's good like this. The world Jewry was having other important things to do.

Book Review: Once upon a shtetl

The world of shtetl is becoming more and more an issue we find rather in the old stories than in the real life. The older inhabitants are disappearing one by one and sooner or later everything will be only history in the page of the books.

Testimonies as those collected by Chaim Shapiro represent a passionate journey through the world of shtetls. Without pretending to be a work of high academic value, we are transmitted important information of anthropological, cultural and historical value: the daily life, the cultural and educational institutions, the social structure and stratifications, the old histories and traditions. Through the pictures we can imagine the limits and the daily life in those communities.

A world quietly destroyed by wars and pogroms and by Shoah, but not completely erased from memory as long as we have books and testimonies reminding us - or at least some of us - from where are we coming from.

"The Observant Reader"

While preparing an extensive list of book for the next days, I stumbled upon an interesting dispute - 5-year old, but still actual, I think - regarding the reflection of Orthodox Judaism in some literary works.

Long time ago, I had a discussion about a haredi friend about avoiding movies and books most likely to produce negative feelings. I was the one to pledge that I could take the risk of such effects for the sake of the curiosity of discovering the world of the imagination. We didn't address the issue from the perspective of bitul Torah, but simply from the point of view of the content of such works. We are faced daily with yezer hara including when we look in our own mirror but we don't have to accuse arts but most likely our weaknesses and incoherent thinking. Sometimes, going out in the street could be a more resourceful inspiration for evil inclinations than a book that we know it's the product of the imagination. Anyway, this is a completely different discussion about right and wrong and how do we build our resources for fighting and countering the evil around us and within ourselves.

In general, I am open to discussions about reasons and explanations and coherent arguments, "pros" and "cons" included. What I am not sympathetic to - at all - is the lecturing tone about what "we" should do or not, simply because "they knew how it is to be on the other side and had the revelation of the one and only way to be". What do you want, to turn me to a standard person made according to your secrets wishes for yourself? No way! What I love to see around are the differences: more or less observant - for an enormous amount of reasons - happy or sad, smart or less smart, curious or lazy, wise or a little bit crazy. When you are coming a little bit later on the scenery you would be shocked, but I am sorry to disappoint you, it was always like this. Relax, take a book and think a bit more about human behavior. I loved a lot Tova Mirvis'answer: "Oh, and as for my own sheitel? Sorry, Wendy. Only my hairdresser knows for sure".