The Last Jewish Gangster: From Meyer to Myron

Presented by Myron Sugerman

December 20 at 2:00 p.m.

In conjunction with the Beth Sholom Book Club, we present author Myron Sugerman, who will discuss his memoir, “Chronicles of the Last Jewish Gangster: From Meyer to Myron.” As a businessman who bought, sold, and operated jukebox and gambling machine businesses around the world, Myron had dealings with some of the most dangerous characters known to the public, including top-ranking members of the Genovese and Gambino crime families, La Corporacion, and the Yakuza. His stories cover everything from his dealings with the fearsome Cali Cartel to his attempt to help famous Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal track down Josef Mengele in Paraguay. Traveling the globe, he rubbed shoulders with dangerous men and legendary mob figures like Longie Zwillman, Meyer Lansky, Joe “Doc” Stacher, Gerry Catena, Tony Bananas Caponigro, Tommy Ryan Eboli, and many others.

His memoir is more than just a riveting account of his nearly sixty-year career as an international outlaw in the field of slot machines and casinos. It is also a fascinating meditation on a variety of themes: aging, respect, adventure, greed, and man's tendency to be his own worst enemy. Although it is chock-full of hilarious anecdotes about his hapless cohorts in what he calls "disorganized crime," the book also contains life lessons for those perceptive enough to look for them—how to differentiate calculated risk taking from compulsive gambling, and how to maintain one’s place in the world as one grows older. Today he lives in Montclair, N.J., with his wife Clara. He is semi-retired but still sought after for his counsel by the up-and-coming generation of the gambling machine business, to whom he is known as the "chief rabbi." He has three sons—one of whom is a real rabbi and a well-known rabbinical scholar—and eight grandchildren.

To read the e-book before the lecture, download it from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Last.../dp/B0773ZWFTJ

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84436484996...

Meeting ID: 844 3648 4996
Passcode: 289051