Despite all the attention that Capone and his Outfit got during Prohibition, Jewish gangs dominated the booze trade in most other big cities. They generally cooperated with each other. Meyer Lansky was very influential with his pal Charlie Luciano, and the cooperative model influenced Luciano when he formed and ran the Commission.

After Prohibition was repealed, Jewish gangs largely dissolved or went legitimate or semi-legit. Lepke Buchalter built a huge, wealthy monopoly in the NYC garment center, but it passed to the Mafia after he went to prison and then to the electric chair. Jews also dominated Nevada gambling after it was legalized in 1931. But, the Mafia became much bigger, more influential and more national and international in that same time period, and especially later.

The original Mafia model was based on rural Sicilian conditions: the gabellotto as a small-time but all-powerful padrone, with life-and-death power over the local farmers and tradesmen. Both the American Mafia and the Jewish mobs were motivated by uniquely American business conditions. Their models were the Robber Barons of a generation or two earlier: Rockefeller, Morgan, Gould, Carnegie, etc. They built gigantic enterprises and operated them as monopolies, tolerated no competition, ruthlessly eliminated rivals, often using private armies and armed violence, and amassing huge political influence. Sound familiar?