Louis Buchalter and his partner Jacob Shapiro were top Jewish hoods in their day who could hold their own with anybody.
Lepke was also instrumental in infiltrating industry. In many ways he led the charge into 'industrial racketeering.' Not only in the rag trade, but with the laundry workers, restaurants and bartenders, truck drivers, milk wagons, etc etc....he was a visionary to some.
He was knee-deep into 'schmeck' which is the Yiddish term for heroin. He was into shylocking in a tremendous way. Other schemes as well. Shakedowns, extortion, etc. He was no pushover. And as we all know he was pivotal to what's called Murder Inc. (they whacked a lot of guys).
But his bloodthirsty ways caught up to him. And they fried him.
Believe me that nobody, NOBODY, was crying over him. Tommy Lucchese, Vito, Albert, and other guys quickly absorbed whatever interests he had. It allowed them to consolidate their power be edging him out.
For me a sharper guy was Longy Zwillman out of Newark. But unfortunately he too met an untimely demise. He hung himself in the basement of his home. He was at the top of his game when he did. Makes he wonder if somebody didn't help him along with that rope.
A large number of theories the Longy’s death was made to look like a suicide…..rope marks on his wrist that make you think he had been tied up. Lansky had concerns that his old pal Longy would rat……Genovese took care of the rest.
