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America’s First Organized-Crime Boss Was a Jewish Mom

JL;DR SUMMARY Fredericka Mandelbaum, also known as Marm Mandelbaum, was a towering figure in America's organized crime scene in post-Civil War New York. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryNew York CityPhilanthropyLaw EnforcementOrganized CrimeGilded AgeFredericka MandelbaumCrime BossMargalit FoxImmigrant Story

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"Rather, this imposing (6-foot, 300-pound) owner of a storefront on Manhattans Lower East Side in the post-Civil War years was the doyenne of a multifaceted, sharply diversified criminal enterprise that has never quite been duplicated."

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Retrieved 2025-01-10 05:30:54 UTC
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