The Kosher Capones, Joe Kraus
The Kosher Capones, Joe Kraus
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The Kosher Capones
A History of Chicago’s Jewish Gangsters

Author: Joe Kraus

Narrator: Peter Berkrot

Unabridged: 7 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/15/2019

Synopsis

The Kosher Capones tells the fascinating story of Chicago’s Jewish gangsters from Prohibition into the 1980s. Author Joe Kraus traces these gangsters through the lives, criminal careers, and conflicts of Benjamin “Zukie the Bookie” Zuckerman, last of the independent West Side Jewish bosses, and Lenny Patrick, eventual head of the Syndicate’s “Jewish wing.”These two men linked the early Jewish gangsters of the neighborhoods of Maxwell Street and Lawndale to the notorious Chicago Outfit that emerged from Al Capone’s criminal confederation. Focusing on the murder of Zuckerman by Patrick, Kraus introduces us to the different models of organized crime they represented, a raft of largely forgotten Jewish gangsters, and the changing nature of Chicago’s political corruption. Hard-to-believe anecdotes of corrupt politicians, seasoned killers, and in-over-their-heads criminal operators spotlight the magnitude and importance of Jewish gangsters to the story of Windy City mob rule.With an eye for the dramatic, The Kosher Capones takes us deep inside a hidden society and offers glimpses of the men who ran the Jewish criminal community in Chicago for more than sixty years.

About Joe Kraus

Joe Kraus is Chair of the Department of English and Theatre at the University of Scranton. He is coauthor of An Accidental Anarchist, and his scholarly and creative work has appeared widely. He lives in Shavertown, Pennsylvania, with his wife and three sons.

About Peter Berkrot

A veteran of stage and screen, Peter Berkrot's career spans four decades. Highlights include feature roles in Caddyshack and Showtime's Brotherhood, and appearances on America's Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries. His voice can be heard on television, radio, video games, documentaries, and industrials. He is a prominent acting coach and a regular contributor to the award-winning news program Frontline produced by WGBH in Boston. Peter served as director of narration for the Emmy-nominated The Truth About Cancer. Peter has recorded over 170 audiobooks, over 100 for children. He has been nominated for an Audie Award and has received a number of AudioFile Earphones Awards and starred reviews. His favorite titles include Toby and the Secrets of the Tree by Timotee de Fombelle, Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith, The Accident by Linwood Barclay, and the Last Policeman trilogy by Ben H. Winters.

Reviews

Goodreads review by L.D. on December 26, 2019

Living on Chicago's west side most of my life, I knew from my childhood that Lawndale was once a Jewish neighborhood, but I didn't know about the men that ran things in its heyday. Joe Kraus gave me keys to some of the underground world that was around me while showing me that the anti-semetic feeli......more

Goodreads review by Margie on January 28, 2020

A highly entertaining read I found the book to be extremely interesting and very informative. it is clear that the author did an extraordinary amount of research ; the book provides a thoughtful,insightful and carefully orchestrated compilation of the lives and criminality of many persons and generat......more

Goodreads review by Stefanie on May 28, 2023

This book discusses the history of the Jewish Gangsters of Chicago. They were called many things, and a lot of those contained the word "kosher" which was a play on Jewish food laws. This group grew exponentially during the influx of immigration to the United States during the 19th and 20th centurie......more

Goodreads review by Margaret on May 31, 2021

This book traces the history of Jewish gangsters (no not an oxymoron) from Prohibition through the 1980s. In the wake of Al Capone's murder, the city was carved up amongst many involved in liquor, restaurants, gambling, racketeering and loan sharking. Some of it was Jewish. From Maxwell Street to La......more

Goodreads review by Tom on September 05, 2021

I found this book quite captivating. Honestly, it took me a while to get into it (I’m not a Chicagoan), but gradually the names and structure of the mafia (Jewish and otherwise) in Chicago started to come together for me. Joe Kraus did an exhaustive amount of research and that shows. The very concept......more

Quotes

“An engaging story about the history of Jewish gangsters in Chicago.” Elizabeth Dale, author of The Chicago Trunk Murder

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