Features
New book looks at the fight by law-abiding Jews to rein in the New York Jewish underworld in early 20th century
The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld
Reviewed by BERNIE BELLAN For those readers who can remember the story of “The Untouchables,” the crime-fighting unit led by Elliot Ness, which was established by the Bureau of Prohibition in the US in the 1930s, tales of shoot-outs between courageous crime-fighting “good guys” and villainous underworld bootleggers and other assorted criminals would probably be thought of as something that wouldn’t have its origin in a Jewish-led crime-fighting unit established several years earlier.
But, would you believe that not too many years before the often bloody events that were depicted in “The Untouchables” came to pass there was another organization in New York City – led by Jewish crime fighters at that time, which had a somewhat tacit affiliation with the New York City Police Department, and whose purpose was to wage war on Jewish criminals on New York’s East Side? That organization was known as “The Incorruptibles” and the story how it came to be created is told in a fascinating new book, titled “The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld,” written by a New York crime reporter by the name of Dan Slater.
As someone who has long had a fascination with shady Jewish characters, I’ve come to realize over the years that a rollicking good story of a Jewish mobster, such as the close friendship a former Winnipegger by the name of Al Smiley had with the notorious Bugsy Siegel, about which Martin Zeilig wrote for The Jewish Post & News in March 2017, resonates with readers in ways that stories about more righteous Jews don’t.
While Martin’s story about Al Smiley was by no means the first story we’ve ever had about Jewish mobsters, a quick search of our online archive would lead you to numerous stories about Jewish gangsters and other assorted criminals.
In the summer of 2023 we ran two stories in relatively rapid succession that elicited a higher than usual amount of interest from readers. One was my review of a book called “Jukebox Empire,” about someone by the name of Wilf Rabin, who actually grew up in Morden, Manitoba. The other story was about bootlegger Bill Wolchock, written by Bill Redekopp, and which appeared in our 2023 Rosh Hashanah edition. Later, when I posted that story to our website it received so many views that I’ve returned it to our home page twice since. (You can now read that story if you missed it by reading it here: “Booze, Glorious Booze”
All this serves as a preamble to my review of “The Incorruptibles.” I have to couch what I’m about to write with an admission: As a youngster growing up in a sheltered environment, and attending the Talmud Torah, where all we were ever told about was Jewish “heroes,” and the only villains were Jews who didn’t lead properly observant lives, reading “The Incorruptibles” came as a real shock to my conception of how much Jews could be associated with the most sordid type of criminal activity.
It’s one thing to realize that many Jews were involved with bootlegging – something that has developed an almost romantic connotation over the years through books, movies and television programs, but to learn that in the latter part of the 19th century Jews in New York were in control of that city’s: prostitution (and most prostitutes were Jewish!); drugs (however, with the understanding that drugs, including heroin and cocaine, were legally available in the U.S. until 1907 and could be readily purchased in pharmacies); gambling; and protection rackets – does come as somewhat of a shock to a sheltered Winnipeg Jew.
Dan Slater’s depiction of life in New York City at the turn of the 20th century is unremittingly harrowing. For the first part of the 20th century the lower East Side of New York was the most densely populated area on Earth. Housing conditions were horrible and the hundreds of thousands of new immigrants arriving yearly – beginning in the 1870s, from what was known as the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe – fleeing persecution and pogroms, found themselves being shunted into unspeakably barbaric working conditions in lower East Side factories, predominantly garment factories – owned by fellow Jews. (The author actually spends a considerable amount of time explaining how exactly the Pale of Settlement came into being and how sudden and incredibly violent wholesale persecution of hundreds of thousands of Jews could happen almost overnight – with the death of a particular czar, for instance.)
It was amidst this churning cesspool of a city that Jewish criminal activity of all sorts ran rampant. Two images from “The Incorruptibles” in particular haunted me. One was Slater’s explanation how so many young Russian Jewish women – most in their early or mid-teens, and only recently arrived in New York, were forced into prostitution. Many of these young women would go to a dance – looking to find some relief from the slave-like conditions that permeated the factories in which they worked. While at the dance, they would be approached by a young Jewish man who would offer them a drink. These guys, known in the colloquial as “Alphonses,” or, in Yiddish, as “schimchas,” would lace the girls’ drinks with drugs (a common occurrence to this day) and take the girls home, where they would rape them. But – now defiled, the girl could not possibly return to her family home out of shame; thus, tens of thousands of young Jewish women were forced into prostitution.
The other image that haunts me was the widespread practice of “horse poisoning.” Protection rackets have probably been around from time immemorial, but in this particular incarnation, criminals would confront business owners with a choice: Pay for “protection” or see your means of transportation (and remember, this was at a time when a horse-drawn buggy or carriage was the principal means of transportation) poisoned.
(There is actually a photo in “The Incorruptibles” of a horse lying dead on a New York street after it had been poisoned. Apparently it happened on a regular basis to the point where it didn’t draw much attention.)
While the book chronicles one sordid story after another so that the reader can understand just how tough life was on the lower East Side – often with reference to the colourful names of some of the most famous Jewish thugs who terrorized their fellow Jews, such as “Bald Jack Rose” or “Big Jack Zelig” (no relation to Martin Zelig – I checked), the biggest mobster of them all was the legendary Arnold Rothstein.
Rothstein is undoubtedly most famous for reputedly having fixed the 1919 World Series by bribing eight members of the Chicago White Sox, the overwhelming favourite to defeat the Cincinnati Reds, to throw the series. (It has never been proven absolutely conclusively that Rothstein did that, but as “The Incorruptibles” explains, the evidence points overwhelmingly in his direction.)
Rothstein was the kind of gambler who could lose $350,000 in a single night of playing poker – and not worry about it.
Here is an example of Slater’s ability to describe a character, when he sums up Arnold Rothstein: “Picture in one individual a sentimental and tender lover, a genial and humorous companion, a charitable giver, a loyal friend—and—a wholesale drug dealer, a crooked sports fixer, a welching gambler, a stolen securities fence, a rum-ring mastermind, a corrupter of police, a grafter through politics, a gunman, a judge-briber, a jury-tamperer, a blackmailer, a pool shark, a swindler.”
But, up against the villains of “The Incorruptibles,” Slater also depicts the stories of two very talented – and brave, young Jewish men, who were willing to challenge the criminal class: A lawyer by the name of Harry Newburger and Abe Shoenfeld, the son of a well-known New York reformer by the name of Mayer Shoenfeld.
As Slater explains, it was only when members of New York’s largely German-Jewish upper class began to take note of the horrid conditions in which the vast majority of the Eastern European Jews who had recently immigrated to America were living did an impetus to try and change things develop. Two men, Jacob Schiff (who is described as the J.P. Morgan of his day in terms of his vast wealth), and Felix Warburg, together with the rabbi of the leading temple of its day, Rabbi Judah Magnes of Temple Immanu-El, organized a group known as the “Kehilah.”
The Kehilah mandated Newburger and Shoenfeld to do whatever they deemed necessary to begin cleaning up the lower East Side. Of course, given how corrupt New York officials were at the time – under the control of the notorious Tammany Hall, led by “Big Jim Sullivan,” most of the New York City Police Department was also thoroughly under the control of criminals, which made the challenge set out for Newburger and Shoenfeld all the more difficult.
The book describes, sometimes in painful detail, the difficulties faced by the group assembled by Newburger and Shoenfeld, known, naturally, as “The Incorruptibles.” They weren’t above busting heads themselves, it turns out.
Again, one of the more interesting aspects of history to emerge from this book is that men would often switch sides at the drop of a hat – to go from violently attacking one particular group – at the behest of this or that mobster, to attacking the same group they were supposed to be defending the next day.
As has already been noted, the garment trade played a pivotal role in the development of New York City into becoming not only a magnet for immigrants, it also also played a prominent role in New York’s becoming the vast economic powerhouse that it is today. Slater notes that, at one point, 80 percent of all garments produced in the U.S. came from the lower East Side.
As workers began to organize themselves into unions, garment factory owners hired thugs, known as “shtarkers” (strong men) to beat up workers, occasionally to kill union organizers. In time though, the tide began to turn and, as unions gathered strength, the same tactics of violence and intimidation that had been used against workers began to be employed by unions – with workers who dared to cross picket lines (known colloquially as “scabs”) often being on the receiving end of that violence, occasionally ending with them being killed.
Newburger and Shoenfeld were thrust into the midst of this turmoil, trying to bring some peace to the labour disputes. Ironically, Mayer Shoenfeld (Abe’s father) was a longtime advocate for workers’ rights, but he would not talk to his son, who tried to straddle both worlds – of employers and employees.
“The Incorruptibles” describes the many battles fought to rein in the gambling, prostitution, protection rackets, and what became the illegal drug trade that were part and parcel of life on New York’s East Side. As the years went by, the Jewish dominance of the New York underworld gave way to the ascendance of the Italian mob. (Slater also acknowledges the roles that other groups also played in New York criminal activity, including the Irish), but his main focus is on Jewish criminals.
“The Incorruptibles” is a long and detailed book, drawing upon a great many different sources, and at times, the proliferation of names entering the scene can be more than a little confusing. But, for anyone who has an interest in reading something that peels back the layers of a very disturbing aspect of Jewish history that might not fit all that well with the notion of Jewish righteousness, then “The Incorruptibles” might be of interest.
“The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld”
By Dan Slater
432 pages
Published by Little, Brown and Company, 2024
Features
Gamification in Online Casinos: What Do Casino Online DudeSpin Experts Say
Gamification is one of the trends in modern game development. The technology allows players to interact with in-game elements and complete various tasks to earn additional rewards. Sites like casino online DudeSpin are eager to explore new technologies. Canadian players are particularly drawn to gamification for the opportunity to test their skills and have fun. Various development approaches allow for the implementation of much of this functionality already at this stage of development.
Core Elements of Gamification
Gamification is a technology that implements various elements to increase player attention. This mechanic not only attracts new users but also increases the time spent playing. This method rewards the most active players and also uses interactive elements that evoke certain associations and habitual actions.
Gamification elements include:
Achievement systems. Players earn special points and rewards for achieving certain goals. For example, unlocking a new level awards points and free spins on slot machines.
Leaderboards. Competitive rankings increase player attention and encourage active betting. Furthermore, healthy competition between participants improves their overall performance.
Progressive mechanics. Players consistently achieve higher results, which unlock additional privileges. Constant progression creates the effect of maximum engagement and attention to the user’s personality.
Challenges. Special quests and daily missions help players feel needed, and a structured goal system encourages active betting.
Sites like casino online DudeSpin utilize all these components to make players feel part of a unified, evolving system.
Psychological Appeal of Gamification
The key to gamification’s success is that every player wants to feel special and appreciated. A reward system stimulates dopamine, which creates additional rewarding gameplay experiences. This is how sites like casino online DudeSpin retain a loyal audience and build a strong community.
Stable player progress serves as a motivation to continue betting and unlocking new achievements. Furthermore, a certain level on the leaderboard provides an opportunity to showcase your skills and connect with others at your level. Personalized offers enhance the effect of this uniqueness, encouraging more active betting in games. Structured goals and achievements help players manage their time spent active, focusing only on activities that truly benefit them.
Canadian Perspective on Gamified Casino Experiences
Canadian casinos are using gamification techniques for a reason. They’re developing a legal and modern market that appeals to local audiences. Furthermore, operators like casino online DudeSpin operate in compliance with local laws, which fosters trust.
Another reason for gamification’s popularity is the localization of content. All games, prizes, and tournaments are tailored to the local market. A loyal community communicates in a clear language and interacts according to audience preferences.
Many casinos also integrate responsible options to help players manage their deposits and avoid overspending. This structure makes gamification attractive.
Finally, gamification is already a traditional element of gameplay in Canadian casinos, attracting new audiences and increasing loyalty among existing ones.
Technology evolves alongside new opportunities, and operators strive to offer the best benefits to their most active players. This interaction makes gamification a viable solution for gamblers. Leaderboards, achievements, and adaptive features are particularly popular with Canadian users due to their personalization.
Features
Staying Safe Online: How to Verify Phone Numbers and Emails in a Digital World
In today’s connected world, communication happens instantly. Whether through phone calls, text messages, or email, we receive information faster than ever before. While this connectivity brings convenience, it also increases exposure to scams, fraud, and misinformation. Communities that value strong social ties, philanthropy, education, and global connection—such as Jewish communities worldwide—are particularly active online, making digital awareness essential.
One practical way to stay safe is by verifying unknown phone numbers and email addresses before responding. Modern lookup tools now make this process quick and accessible.
Why Phone and Email Verification Matters
The Rise of Digital Fraud
Across North America and beyond, online fraud has become more sophisticated. Scam calls may impersonate:
- Charitable organizations
- Financial institutions
- Government agencies
- Community leaders
- Family members in distress
Similarly, phishing emails often appear legitimate at first glance, using familiar names or logos to gain trust.
Before replying, donating, clicking links, or sharing sensitive information, verification can prevent costly mistakes.
Common Scenarios Where Verification Helps
1. Unknown Calls Requesting Donations
Many people are generous and active in charitable giving. Unfortunately, scammers sometimes exploit this generosity. If you receive a call asking for contributions to a cause, verifying the phone number can help confirm legitimacy.
2. Suspicious Emails About Account Access
Emails claiming urgent action is required—such as password resets or banking alerts—are common phishing tactics. Looking up the sender’s email can reveal whether it is associated with known fraud reports.
3. Online Marketplace Transactions
When buying or selling items online, verifying the contact details of the other party reduces the risk of fraud.
4. Reconnecting with Old Contacts
Sometimes you receive a message from someone claiming to be an old friend, colleague, or distant relative. A quick lookup can confirm whether the contact information aligns with public records.
Introducing ClarityCheck
One of the tools designed to simplify this process is ClarityCheck. The platform allows users to search for information associated with phone numbers and email addresses, helping individuals make informed decisions before responding.
What Makes ClarityCheck Useful?
Quick Searches
Users can enter:
- A phone number
- An email address
The system then aggregates publicly available data and digital signals connected to that contact detail.
Easy-to-Understand Results
Rather than overwhelming users with technical data, the platform presents results in a structured format, making it easier to interpret findings.
Privacy-Conscious Approach
The service focuses on organizing publicly accessible information, helping users assess risk without intrusive methods.
How Phone Number Lookup Works
When a phone number is entered into a lookup service, several types of information may be identified:
| Data Category | Possible Insights |
| Carrier Information | Type of line (mobile, landline, VoIP) |
| Geographic Indicators | Area code origin |
| Spam Reports | Previous complaints or flags |
| Digital Footprint | Public listings linked to the number |
This information can help users determine whether a number is likely legitimate or potentially fraudulent.
For example, a donation request from a number flagged repeatedly for spam activity would be a clear warning sign.
How Email Lookup Enhances Security
Email addresses often reveal patterns that help identify risk.
Key Signals in Email Verification
- Domain age and reputation
- Presence in public databases
- Links to known scam reports
- Associated online profiles
For instance, an email claiming to represent a large institution but using a newly created domain may warrant caution.
Verification adds a layer of confidence before you respond.
Community Safety and Digital Responsibility
Strong communities rely on trust. However, trust must be balanced with vigilance in digital spaces.
Protecting Elders and Vulnerable Individuals
Older adults are often targeted by phone and email scams. Sharing tools and knowledge about verification can significantly reduce risk.
Encouraging family members to:
- Verify unknown callers
- Avoid sharing financial details immediately
- Consult trusted relatives before responding
can prevent emotional and financial harm.
Practical Steps Before Responding to Unknown Contacts
Here is a simple checklist:
- Do not click links immediately.
- Avoid sharing personal information.
- Verify the phone number or email address.
- Contact the organization directly using official channels.
- Report suspicious activity when necessary.
Verification tools like ClarityCheck fit naturally into step three of this process.
Benefits Beyond Fraud Prevention
While safety is the primary goal, phone and email lookup services can also offer other advantages.
Reconnecting with Confidence
In globally connected communities with family members across countries, unexpected messages are common. A lookup can confirm whether a contact aligns with publicly available information before continuing the conversation.
Professional Due Diligence
For professionals—whether in law, business, education, or nonprofit leadership—validating contact information before engaging in partnerships or transactions adds credibility and reduces risk.
Supporting Charitable Integrity
Legitimate charitable organizations depend on trust. When individuals verify contacts, it discourages impersonation scams that damage the reputation of authentic nonprofits.
Digital Awareness in 2026 and Beyond
As artificial intelligence tools become more advanced, scam attempts may look increasingly realistic. Voice cloning, AI-generated emails, and automated phishing campaigns are becoming more common.
Verification tools help counteract these threats by:
- Identifying patterns linked to fraudulent activity
- Aggregating public signals into accessible reports
- Providing clarity before emotional decisions are made
Digital literacy is no longer optional—it is part of responsible community engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to look up phone numbers and emails?
Yes, when using services that rely on publicly available information and comply with data protection regulations.
Can lookup tools guarantee accuracy?
No tool guarantees 100% accuracy. Results should be used as guidance, combined with personal judgment.
Should verification replace common sense?
Absolutely not. It should complement cautious behavior and independent confirmation.
Final Thoughts
Community strength is built on trust, generosity, and connection. In a digital era, protecting those values requires thoughtful use of technology.
Verifying unknown phone numbers and email addresses before responding is a simple but powerful step. Whether preventing fraud, safeguarding charitable giving, or reconnecting with old contacts, tools like ClarityCheck help individuals move forward with greater confidence.
Digital awareness is not about suspicion—it is about clarity.
Features
Methods of Using Blockchain on Gambling Sites: Explained by Robocat Casino
The world of online gambling is changing and chasing new tools to entertain visitors. Players demand more transparency, faster payouts, and complete control over their money, making traditional casinos seem outdated. Modern websites like Robocat Casino utilize blockchain technology, which is the digital foundation for everything from crypto transactions to provably fair games. If you’re unfamiliar with how casinos use blockchain, we’ll cover it below.
What is Blockchain in a Casino?
Blockchain is a system that records data in a way that cannot be altered. The technology operates using a decentralized ledger shared across multiple computers. Every transaction is recorded in the ledger, which is regularly updated and accessible to all participants.
These properties are useful for gambling sites like Robocat Casino. The digital ledger processes every bet and prevents alteration. As a result, every action is transparent, and players have no doubt about the website’s integrity.
All transactions occur on a decentralized ledger, so there is no central authority that could interfere. This ensures complete anonymity. This privacy has led to an increasing number of players choosing to bet at crypto casinos.
How is This Technology Used in Gambling?
There are several ways users might encounter blockchain technology at sites like Robocat Casino.
- Provably fair games. Traditional online casinos have always been criticized for their fairness, as players doubt whether the odds are truly in their favor. Blockchain technology eliminates this uncertainty. Systems with provably fair games use cryptographic algorithms and publicly accessible hashes to control the outcome of each spin or draw. This limits backend manipulation and ensures transparency between the website and the user.
- Greater anonymity and lower KYC (know your customer) requirements. Not all crypto casinos eliminate the KYC process, but many are more lenient than casinos that exclusively accept fiat transactions. Some sites allow you to play with just a wallet address, without the need for identification documents.
- Cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals. With blockchain technology, you can forget about the five-day wait for funds to appear in your gaming account. When working with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum, deposits and withdrawals are almost instantaneous. Interacting with cryptocurrency goes beyond speed. It offers low transaction fees and 24/7 global availability.
- Smart contracts. These are self-executing contracts based on the blockchain. In casinos, they can automate everything from loyalty bonuses to jackpot payouts. Such procedures require no human intervention, eliminating the risk of errors.
- Tokenized loyalty systems. Casinos can issue their own tokens as rewards. This is a cryptocurrency that can be sold or spent on the website. This approach creates real economic value for loyalty programs and motivates users to choose the casino.
The evolution of blockchain will lead to an expanded role at Robocat Casino and other gambling websites. Experts expect the use of decentralized applications (dApps) to increase. These operate on blockchain networks, rather than on a single server, and ensure complete decentralization of casinos. The absence of intermediaries or regulatory bodies will provide players with greater transparency.