89-Year-old 'Last Jewish Gangster' Charms Kansas City-Area Audience With Tales and Takes

“Back in New Jersey, if nobody insults you, it means they don’t like you.”

That was how Myron Sugerman, the 89-year-old self-proclaimed “last Jewish mobster,” introduced himself to an engaged audience of roughly 100 people at an Overland Park synagogue, kansasreflector.com reported.

The event was covered by Mark McCormick, a journalist and nonprofit executive who also serves as the author of four books, including the New York Times bestseller “Barry Sanders: Now You See Him,” “Some Were Paupers, Some Were Kings: Dispatches from Kansas,” and his latest work, “Kansas Matters: America’s Social Faultlines.”

Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector aims to amplify voices of individuals affected by public policy or otherwise excluded from public debate.

Sugerman visited Kehilath Israel Synagogue to share stories of intrigue and sign copies of his book, “The Chronicles of The Last Jewish Gangster: From Meyer to Myron.” Over a weekend visit that included warm cinnamon rolls at Best Regards Bakery and a late-night search for pasta e fagioli, he charmed locals with sharp wit and tales from the intersection of La Cosa Nostra and the Kosher Nostra.

Born in Newark in 1938, Sugerman entered the family business of coin-operated amusements at age 21, selling and operating slot machines and jukeboxes alongside his father, Barney “Sugie” Sugerman. But his life took him far beyond New Jersey arcades. When asked by an attendee how early he joined the mob, Sugerman quipped, “As I came out my mother’s womb.”

His dual existence spanned South America, Africa, and Europe, surviving two assassination attempts while rubbing shoulders with mob figures like John Gotti, Tony “Bananas” Caponigro, and Carlo Gambino, kansasreflector.com reported.

Sugerman described how the underworld occasionally crossed into patriotism after World War II. According to kansasreflector.com, mobsters packed weapons and ammunition into crates labeled as farm equipment or sewing machines to support the fledgling state of Israel. He also recounted helping Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in his pursuit of Josef Mengele. Wiesenthal never located the man known as the “Angel of Death.”

During the question-and-answer session, Sugerman warned about antisemitism in America. “We have about 25 years left in this country,” he told the audience, advising that every Jewish home should own a firearm and know how to use it. He insisted he was being realistic rather than negative, asserting, “The future of the Jew is in Israel.”

After finishing book signings, Sugerman and a circle of friends gathered at Johnny Cascone’s Italian restaurant, where conversation drifted to politics, his ties to the Kushner family, and his memories of Rudy Giuliani as a Newark-raised federal prosecutor, kansasreflector.com reported.

Before heading to the airport, Sugerman handed out thin, white business cards featuring his name printed in cursive on wax paper, keeping his contact information simple and his presence unforgettable. His email address, listed next to his phone number, began with the word “charming.”