Organized crime might not be the first thing we associate with the Jewish people. Films have filled our imaginations with the Italian Mafia. Occasionally, we catch glimpses of the Irish and Russian underworlds.However, as a diaspora population, Jews have frequently found themselves in less than ideal situations. They needed to band together in gangs—not just for criminal glory but for survival. 10 Red Mafia10-semion-mogilevich Photo credit: Alchetron The Red Mafia is a notorious faction of the Russian mob run by the enigmatic Semion Mogilevich. Known as the “Brainy Don,” Mogilevich is a Ukrainian-born Jew with an economics degree from Lviv University. The Red Mafia is a tight-knit organization, composed mostly of the Brainy Don’s family.Mogilevich’s reach penetrated the United States through his criminal partner, Monya Elison. A Russian-born Jew, Elison ran the infamous Monya’s Brigada. This pack of thugs was based out of New York’s Brighton Beach—the epicenter of Russian organized crime in the United States.Allegations against Mogilevich include trafficking in nuclear material, drugs, prostitutes, precious gems, and stolen art. He also controls Hungary’s entire armament industry. This poses a serious threat to regional security and the war on terror. Mogilevich is probably the most dangerous gangster in the world. 9 Eastman Gang9a-eastman Photo via Wikimedia The Eastman Gang ruled lower New York in the late 1800s. Their rise marks the beginning of Jewish influence in American organized crime. The name is derived from Monk Eastman. Many have speculated that Eastman was Jewish, although his ancestry remains a mystery.As the gang grew, its membership became almost exclusively Jewish. Initially called the Allen Street Cadets, they dealt in theft, prostitution, gambling, opium, and extortion. They soon developed connections with Tammany Hall.Eastman was arrested soon after a botched mugging and sentenced to 10 years. Max “Kid Twist” Zwerbach seized control of the troubled crew. However, their Five Points Gang rivals soon murdered him.Big Jack Zelig took the reins next. He divided the empire into factions, which ultimately turned on each other. Eastman was eventually released but resorted to petty theft to supply his opium habit. He was eventually shot dead by a probation officer.8 Abergil Crime Family8-abergil Photo credit: Israel police Itzak Abergil was the target of one of the largest law enforcement efforts in Israel’s history. His organization is based out of the Sharon region but has tentacles in the Americas, Asia, Australia, and beyond. Their main interest is drug trafficking. They have dozens of soldiers and captains, but everyone answers to Itzak Abergil. In 2003, Abergil’s failed assassination attempt on rival Ze’ev Rosenstein killed three and wounded 18 with a car bomb. This led to Israel declaring a “war on criminal terror.” Between 2003 and 2006, the Abergil family waged war with the Rosenstein syndicate and the Abutbul organization.Frequent shoot-outs and bombings made this the bloodiest period for the Israeli underworld. In 2008, Abergil was tried and imprisoned in the United States for drug trafficking and other crimes before being sent to Israel to serve the remainder of his term. 7 Bessarabian Tigers7a-alfie-solomons Photo credit: thejc.com Just before World War I, a Jewish gang known as the Bessarabian Tigers ruled the Whitechapel neighborhood of London. Their name derived from a southern Russian territory on the Romanian border. Whitechapel was long known for its German Jewish population.However, instability in Russia led to a mass migration of Bessarabians to East London. Alfie Solomons led the Bessarabian Tigers. Gang activity was rarely reported in those days and Solomons remains a mystery. Most of what we know is based on legend.Extortion was The Tigers’ moneymaker. Their operation centered around Camden Town racetrack. Many of the bookies were Jewish. The Bessarabian Tigers protected the Jewish bookies while ripping off other customers.They soon grew in power and came up against the Birmingham gangs. By World War I, the Jewish stranglehold on crime in East London abated. Most members were killed, jailed, or fled the country.6 Lenox Avenue Gang6-lenox-avenue-gang Photo credit: Richard Arthur Norton The Lenox Avenue Gang was a Jewish crime syndicate based out of Brooklyn in the early 1900s. It was run by Gyp the Blood, a savage murderer who captured the curiosity of the American public. He was born Harry Horowitz.Despite being Jewish, Horowitz was given the name “Gyp.” His dark complexion led many to think he was a Gypsy. A tale circulated that he would make $2 bets that he could break a man’s spine over his knee. The Lenox Avenue Gang made their money through extortion. When businesses wouldn’t pay up, they got bombs thrown through their windows. Gyp noted, “I like the noise they make.”The gang’s downfall came in 1912 when Gyp was arrested for murdering a bookie. More than 10,000 people came out to see the murderer as he was hauled to Sing Sing. Gyp and three associates were executed by electric chair in 1915.5 Israeli Mafia5-opiates Photo credit: dabangasudan.org The Israeli Mafia was a crime syndicate based out of Brooklyn in the 1980s. Their leadership was comprised of Yehuda “Johnny” Attias and Yisrael “Alice” Mizrahi. This gang of about 20 from Tel Aviv specialized in drug trafficking, extortion, and gasoline racketeering. Lacking the codes of conduct associated with the Mafia, they did not last long.Attias served prison sentences in three countries. He was nicknamed “The Crazy” for his violent temper. He made a splash when he moved to New York in 1987 and killed Moussan Aliyan, the mob’s heroin connection.Between 1987 and 1989, they began importing massive quantities of opiates from Amsterdam. The Israeli Mafia also staged the largest heist in Manhattan’s jewelry district. In 1990, Attias was shot down. Mizrahi fled to Israel, where he was murdered by a car bomb in 2003. 4 Purple Gang4-purple-gang Photo via Wikimedia Between 1927 and 1932, the Purple Gang ruled the Detroit underworld. Known for savagery, their name comes from the color of rotten meat. Led by Abe Bernstein, the Purple Gang was composed mostly of Jewish immigrants.Many met as boys and started as thieves and pickpockets. They soon graduated to armed robbery, extortion, and loan sharking. They became famous for their bootlegging and hijacking. Detroit was an ideal location for smuggling Canadian booze during Prohibition. Not only were they constantly at war with rival gangs, but there was much conflict within the gang. The organization’s demise came when they murdered three of their own members, who were operating outside approved guidelines. One of the members who arranged their murders was arrested and flipped. His testimony crushed the Purples.3 Bugs-Meyer Mob3-siegel-lansky Photo credit: quotesgram.com, Museum Of Gaming History This ruthless Jewish gang ran a group of hired killers known as “Murder Inc.” The Bugs-Meyer mob was composed of Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, who met on the violent streets of New York. They found strength in numbers against the Irish and Italian mobs. They initially made their money in bootlegging. After Prohibition, they diversified.These are some of the most infamous gangsters in US history. Siegel is famed for opening Las Vegas to organized crime. Despite only graduating from eighth grade, Lansky was considered the financial genius of the mob. After his work with the Bugs-Meyer mob, he went on to help found the National Crime Syndicate, an umbrella organization that oversaw underworld activity nationwide.2 Gold Flag2a-kidnapped-boy_34294226_smallIn 1923, a Jewish gang known as the Gold Flag came to the attention of the public. A Yiddish newspaper in Vilna, Lithuania, reported on their botched kidnapping attempt. The Gold Flag had abducted the son of a moneylender. The ransom was 15,000 rubles plus gold, diamonds, and pearls.Unfortunately, they underestimated the reaction of the community, who almost immediately rallied against the organization. The Gold Flag soon realized that theirs was a losing battle and decided to return the boy.The Gold Flag’s rival at the time was known as the Brothers Society. They were known for providing legal assistance to arrested members. Also, they had a network to smuggle wanted individuals across borders. Vilna was not the only place these gangs operated. Jewish gangs controlled the underworld of Warsaw, Bialystok, Odessa, and Lvov until the breakout of World War II.1 Banda Ioanid1-the-heist Photo credit: The Jerusalem Post In 1959, a gang of six Jewish intellectuals pulled off the most brazen bank heist in Romanian history. The Banda Ioanid robbed the National Bank in broad daylight under the guise of a film shoot.They absconded with 1.6 million Romanian lei—2,000 times the average worker’s salary. However, two months later, the group was apprehended. After a show trial, all but one of the Banda Ioanid members were executed.The robbery shocked the communist regime. The Romanian Securitate forced the arrested Banda members to reenact the entire planning and execution for a “documentary” called Reconstruction. This was pure anti-Semitic propaganda for party insiders.It suggested that Jews were incapable of understanding communism. But the perpetrators had not spent the money lavishly as portrayed in Reconstruction. This was not a robbery. It was symbolic defiance of a tyrannical state.+ Further Reading4-kosher If you are craving even more lists like this one, crave no more! Here are a few more such articles from the archives:10 Fascinating Jewish Communities That Time Forgot Top 10 Most Influential Jews In History Top 10 People Who Give Judaism a Bad Name 10 Absurdly Crazy Jewish Conspiracy TheoriesAbraham Rinquist is the Executive Director of the Winooski, Vermont, branch of the Helen Hartness Flanders Folklore Society. He is the coauthor of Codex Exotica and Song-Catcher: The Adventures of Blackwater Jukebox.

In the history of US politics, no candidate has been as mind-blowingly controversial as Donald Trump. The former businessman is ridiculed by the media as a national joke; a buffoon who constantly puts his foot in it. But at least he’s not as openly corrupt as Hillary Clinton, right?

If only. It turns out that Donald J. Trump has been involved in some pretty shady stuff over the last few decades. Stuff that’s murky at best . . . and downright unpleasant at worst.

10Running A Scam University

Photo credit: Mother Jones

First, you should know that Trump University (TU) wasn’t a university. This is important because New York State prohibits calling your company a university if it isn’t one. Second, you should know that it was a scam company dedicated to fleecing millions from vulnerable people.

TU has been called a “classic bait-and-switch” scheme. All the classes were geared toward making students sign up for expensive seminars where they would “learn Trump’s personal techniques.”

Once there, the entire seminar involved pressuring them to sign up for a $35,000 “mentorship program.” Those who joined the program reportedly learned nothing beyond generic techniques and never once personally met Trump.

In fact, TU so badly misrepresented itself that the New York attorney general’s office is now taking the candidate to court.

9Running A Scam Charity

The Donald J. Trump Foundation is an unusual charity. The money it raises doesn’t always go to good causes. Trump has previously used its funds to treat himself to insane gifts.

In one case, Trump used $20,000 of the foundation’s cash to buy a painting of himself that was 2 meters (6 ft) high. There is literally no definition of the word “charity” that includes buying paintings of Donald Trump for Donald Trump.

This would be one thing if the charity used Trump’s own money. It doesn’t. The foundation is funded entirely by other philanthropists. Unusually for a foundation, its founder hasn’t given since 2008. Instead, Trump has used the foundation’s charitable status to get donations from other rich people.

Then he gives these donations away to second charities, making himself look philanthropic. He even won an award for giving $150,000 to a police association . . . despite every cent originally coming from the Evans Foundation.

8Terrorizing Tenants

Photo credit: CNN

In 1981, Trump purchased a building off Central Park hoping to demolish it and turn it into condos. The residents living there refused to move. Trump responded by acting like the landlord from hell.

For five years, Trump cut off heat and hot water, even during freezing New York winters. He refused to fix leaks. He allowed a rat infestation to take hold. He told the building manager to spy on tenants. He allowed a construction team to start work at 7:00 AM every day directly above an apartment where an old woman lay dying of cancer. When she complained, he did nothing.

Things got really bizarre when Trump decided he would house homeless people in the building. Residents said it was a ploy to drive them out. The whole thing wound up in court, and Trump eventually backed down. He now denies the incidents ever took place.

7Knowingly Employing Illegal Immigrants

Photo credit: Time

One of Trump’s signature policies is to deport illegal immigrants. Yet, in the 1980s, Trump knowingly employed undocumented Polish workers to help build Trump Tower.

Trump denies this. But several witnesses from the incident—including an FBI informant—have testified under oath that Trump knew he was employing illegal immigrants. They claim that he made them work seven days a week without safety gear in a dangerous environment and repeatedly refused to pay even the measly $5 an hour he was offering.

Trump went to great lengths to make his workers’ lives hell. At one point, he threatened to report them to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and have them deported if they complained. Many were made to sleep at the construction site. Things only improved when the Poles threatened to sue for part ownership of the building.

6Using Campaign Contributions To Buy His Own Book

Photo credit: The Daily Beast

Many ordinary people have contributed to Donald Trump’s campaign. Most of them probably expected their money to go toward defeating Hillary in November. Very few of them likely expected Trump to use their money to buy $55,000 worth of his own book.

To be fair, some high-profile writers have been known to bulk-buy 500 copies of their latest work. But they don’t use presidential campaign funds or buy between 3,000–5,000 copies at retail price.

The retail price bit is important because it suggests that Trump may have been using campaign funds to get himself on The New York Times Best Sellers list. At best, this is deeply narcissistic. At worst, Trump may have been hoping to pocket the royalties.

The Daily Beast claims that he was doing just that—a move which would be deeply illegal.

5Needless, Endless Lying

Trump has been accused of lying countless times during his campaign. It’s one thing to hear a random website say it. It’s another to hear an admission coming straight from Trump’s mouth. In a 2007 court case, Trump was asked under oath to verify the truth of multiple past statements. He wound up admitting that 30 of them were lies.

The lies ranged from the size of his wealth to recent business deals he’d made to the number of people on his payroll. Some were exaggerations. Some were distortions. Some were just straight-up lies. All are now on file in court documents.

This is important because Trump’s campaign is built on telling unpalatable truths. In the primaries, he even made a point of calling Ted Cruz “Lyin’ Ted.”

4Political Irresponsibility

In July 2016, The New York Times ran a quote from a member of John Kasich’s campaign staff with disturbing implications. They claimed that Trump’s long-term political plan is essentially to hand the office of president over to his vice president after the election.

The staffer claimed that Kasich had been offered the role of vice president by Trump. Trump’s campaign asked if Kasich would like to be “the most powerful vice president in history.” He’d take over domestic and foreign policy.

Meanwhile, President Trump’s role would simply be “making America great again.” In other words, Kasich would have been president, with Trump acting as a self-glorifying figurehead.

If true, this is hugely irresponsible. It suggests that Trump wants to win and then just step aside. Aside from being unprecedented, it would also amount to lying to the electorate and using something as serious as a presidential election for nothing more than trivial games.

3Accusations Of Racism

For over 40 years, Trump has been dogged by accusations of racism.

In 1973, Trump and his father were sued by the Department of Justice forrefusing to rent to blacks. Although Trump never admitted wrongdoing, he was forced to sign an agreement that he wouldn’t discriminate against blacks in the future.

In the 1980s, two Trump casinos were accused of forcing black people off the floor when high rollers were playing. One casino was found guilty and fined. In 1991, a book claimed that Trump said laziness was a trait in blacks.

The accusations go on. In 1989, Trump took out a full-page ad in NYC, calling for the execution of four black teenagers suspected of raping a white woman in Central Park. All four were later found innocent.

2Belief In Conspiracy Theories

Photo credit: The Daily Beast

A basic qualification for president is the ability to distinguish between serious, real-world matters and paranoid Internet conspiracy theories. Donald Trump fails to reach this standard. Over the years, he has repeatedly stated his own belief in utter nonsense.

Famously, Trump long believed the “birther” theory that Obama wasn’t born in the US. Trump has also claimed that climate change is a Chinese conspiracy to undercut US manufacturing, vaccines give children autism, Ted Cruz’s father assassinated JFK, and Justice Antonin Scalia was murdered.

Trump also thinks that America’s unemployment rate is 42 percent, but the real figure is hidden to make Obama look good. For the record, it’s around 5 percent.

These are not normal things for a presidential candidate to believe. At best, they show Trump is exceptionally naive. At worst, they show he’s actively unbalanced.

1Murky Ties To Vladimir Putin

Photo credit: Salon

Trump has praised Russian strongman Vladimir Putin as “a strong leader,” insinuated that Obama should be more like him, and called on the Kremlin to hack Hillary’s emails. When Trump was delivering his most pro-Putin sound bites, his campaign manager was Paul Manafort, someone who took enormous sums of money from Russia-backed regimes.

Manafort was later dropped by Trump, but the links don’t stop there. Timedocumented many murky connections between Trump’s businesses and Russian interests linked to the Kremlin.

From several business deals partly financed by Russian racketeering to top Trump staffers linked to Putin’s inner circle, it seems that Trump is almost intimately connected with Putin’s Russia. Time even alleged possible ties to Russian gangsters.

+The Dark Secrets Of Hillary Clinton

Photo credit: The Washington Examiner

After all that, the only sane response is surely to vote for Hillary, right? Well, think again. Only yesterday, we went hunting for skeletons in the Clinton closet. We found enough skeletons to start our own ossuary. You can get a whiff of some of that corruption yourselves by clicking here.

+Further Reading

Mr Trump is new to the political spectrum so we don’t have any lists about him in the archives. But . . . we do have a bunch of great political articles!

10 Political Candidates No One Thought Would Win
10 Inconvenient Facts Both Parties Love To Ignore
10 Insane Facts You Need To Know About The 2016 US Presidential Race
10 Widely Believed Political Myths
10 Guys Who Weren’t Republicans or Democrats But Still Kicked Ass