It was Meyer Lansky who made the American mafia a kind of legend. It is impossible to deny that he was ruthless, but his nickname was "Accountant", which suggests that he was very different from his other accomplices. It was this man who for many years was considered the most important person in the country, because he not only elevated the gambling business to the top and was one of the co-founders of the mafia syndicate, but also had a hand in the heyday of the political career of Robert Kennedy and Estes Kefauver. The biography of Meyer Lansky was laid in the creation of the prototype of Human Roth, who became the inspiration for the famous Michael Corleone from The Godfather. But be that as it may, it is impossible not to admit that for almost fifty years he was one of the main leaders of the mafia.
Origin
In 1999, a film was released about Meyer Lansky, which received the same name "Lansky." Unlike other gangster films, there was almost no blood in it. And this really showed the main difference between Meyer and other mafiosi: he acted with the help of mind, connections and money. In his book, Meyer Lansky even admitted that he had never soaked his hands in blood, although there is some evidence that refutes this claim. But be that as it may, all the activities of Lansky originated precisely in his childhood.
It is recognized that Lansky had a huge number of connections, despite the fact that he was a Jew. He had a great influence on the Italian mafia. However, it must be said that the beginning of his journey was very unhappy. He was born in the city of Grodno in a poor family. His parents, Yette and Max, in search of a better life, tried to escape from a country filled with anti-Semitic sentiments.
Meyer Lansky, then still Sukhovlansky, came to New York in 1911. His father, who had been in America for a couple of years, managed to rent a small apartment for his family in Brooklyn in the Jewish quarter. It was there that the parents settled with their three children.
Childhood
From the photo of Meyer Lansky, it is impossible to understand all the charisma that this man possessed. He was very different from his father. As you know, Max Lansky had a very weak character and was deeply depressed throughout his life, and therefore could not have a noticeable effect on his son. Another was his mother: Yette loved her children very much, and especially Meyer. In his childhood, she always protected him. He paid her that he fully complied with her instructions, according to which he could not steal. By the standards of poor Brooklyn at that time, the boy was very different from his peers: he studied well and was smart enough.
Kids games
According to the official autobiography of Meyer Lansky, his first attempts to enter the gambling business began in childhood. Of course, they were not serious, because he only put money on the line. It is believed that once walking along the road with the money his mother gave him for meat, he saw boys playing. Lansky thought that the game was unusually simple, and he would definitely win, but because he put everything at stake and lost. He returned home and told his mother that he simply lost them. He was not even punished, but this event became significant. He felt that he had let down his family and became in some way a criminal.
Meyer decided not to rush and began to study the principle of the game. He figured out all the dummy players and understood the tricks. So after a while I realized exactly how you can win. Lansky understood mathematics well and was a perfectionist, so he was soon able to accumulate a very large amount of money.
Meeting with Lucky Luciano
The name Lansky in the mafia is directly related to another, namely Charles Lucky Luciano. Although in the early years of their acquaintance, he was known by another, namely Salvatore. This Sicilian became the closest person to Meyer, and their friendship lasted until the end of his life.
Their meeting was truly fateful. Once returning from school, Meyer met a group of Italians led by Luciano. They demanded money from the boy, because they considered him easy prey. But they were wrong. Lansky was a strong opponent. They beat him for several days, but he did not give them a cent and did not even choose another way home. This impressed Luciano so much that he decided to become his friend. As he said, for him it became a certain moment of truth, a manifestation of “instinct”, which subsequently never left him.
Jew and Italian
The rise of Meyer Lansky, as already mentioned, is connected with Luciano. Their relationship was unusual for that time, since any ties between Sicilians and Jews were not welcome. However, this did not bother them at all. They always chose each other and remained faithful friends until the end of their lives. As Siegel, who was a close person to both of them, said, they seemed to act on the same wavelength and understand each other so well that they seemed to read each other's thoughts. Some gossip even went so far as that Luciano and Lansky never quarreled in life, although this was hard to believe.
Start of activity
In the photo of Lansky, presented in the article, he looks the lowest of his associates, but one cannot help but admit that he was the “brain” of the gang. He even worked for some time in a real workshop, and so well that he was prophesied to become the shift supervisor. However, Luciano and Siegel gradually involved him in illegal activities.
After some time, quitting, he began to steal and resell cars, and then rob banks. He began to engage in bootlegging only in the 20s, when he joined the Arnold Rothstein group. He himself did not do such things, more acting as a mentor: he taught Luciano, Siegel and Meyer. This allowed Meyer to become an incredibly rich person. But unlike his friends, he conducted his affairs very carefully. So careful that even his wife did not know about this for 20 years.
However, the activity more or less successfully continued until the 1930s. When a syndicate began to form in 1931, Lansky became one of its co-founders. In fact, he controlled the entire underground economy of the country. But even this did not lead to the fact that he somehow betrayed himself or the illegal nature of his activities.
The fall of Luciano and Siegel
Troubles for Lansky began precisely with Luciano. He had no intention of lurking, so already in 1935 he was convicted of keeping brothels. He was given a term of 50 years. Lansky tried to help a friend, but could not do anything. After some time, Luciano was sent to Italy. He subsequently left for Cuba, but he could never return to America. He tried to manage affairs from the island and at times very successfully.
After some time, Lansky experienced another blow. Another childhood friend, Bugsy Siegel, who was building a casino in Las Vegas, took the money from the mafia box office, which was punishable by the only way - death. Surprisingly, at one time it was Luciano and Lansky who introduced this rule, which they later tried to circumvent in order to help a loved one. Unfortunately, they were unable to help, and Sigel was soon killed.
Life ending
The Mafia Accountant after 1947 was left completely alone. His dearest people, except the children, were either dead or very far away. Despite this, for many years he held great power in his hands. He was arrested three times, trying to at least somehow imprison him. Surprisingly, the FBI could not "dig up" anything, so he was released every time. The last attempt was a statement about tax evasion, but even this fact could not be proved.
Meyer spent the last years of his life at large for his complete pleasure. The FBI already realized that no evidence could be found on him, and therefore they stopped shaking the elderly man. He died in his house, as a respected person, from old age on January 15, 1983. He was universally respected, and a huge number of people attended his funeral. Each of them threw a five-cent coin into the grave. There was a reason for this - having lost the first five cents in childhood, he vowed never to lose again in his life. He fully kept his promise.
Conclusion
Meyer Lansky really managed to redraw the world of the mafia. He became a real inspiration for gangsters, acting with his mind and not shedding blood. After himself, he left not only a real gambling empire, but also two children. Lansky’s children did not follow his path, his son Pavel became a military captain, and his daughter Sandra married an entrepreneur. He adored them and was very disappointed that the authorities of the country constantly tried to squeeze them in order to influence Meyer.
Besides America, he also had a great influence on Israel. It can be said that in many ways it was he who helped establish a state that could help the Jewish people to which he himself belonged. At the end of his life, he even hid there for a while, but Israel still could not protect him. However, even the Americans could not condemn, so the deprivation of his passport was simply a futile affair.
It must be admitted that Lansky was a real economic genius. A poor immigrant, he accumulated a fortune that exceeded the value of the country's largest enterprise. Many economists directly admit that even today, few businessmen can achieve the same result, moreover, build their activities on crime and end their lives peacefully.