Soon to be a NETFLIX film directed by Martin Scorsese; starring Robert De Niro; Al Pacino; Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel; and written by Steven Zaillian.Updated with a 57-page Conclusion by the author that features new; independent corroboration of Frank Sheeran's revelations about the killing of Jimmy Hoffa; the killing of Joey Gallo and the murder of JFK; along with stories that could not be told before.The first words Jimmy Hoffa ever spoke to Frank "the Irishman" Sheeran were; "I heard you paint houses." To paint a house is to kill a man. The paint is the blood that splatters on the walls and floors. In the course of nearly five years of recorded interviews Frank Sheeran confessed to Charles Brandt that he handled more than twenty-five hits for the mob; and for his friend Hoffa. Sheeran learned to kill in the U.S. Army; where he saw an astonishing 411 days of active combat duty in Italy during World War II. After returning home he became a hustler and hit man; working for legendary crime boss Russell Bufalino. Eventually he would rise to a position of such prominence that in a RICO suit then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani would name him as one of only two non-Italians on a list of 26 top mob figures. When Bufalino ordered Sheeran to kill Hoffa; he did the deed; knowing that if he had refused he would have been killed himself. Sheeran's important and fascinating story includes new information on other famous murders including those of Joey Gallo and JFK; and provides rare insight to a chapter in American history. Charles Brandt has written a page-turner that has become a true crime classic.
#1538517 in Books 2004-06-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x .86 x 6.08l; 1.14 #File Name: 1584653922351 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. great research!By PaleSkin NorthernerVery good book about Jews in Medieval Europe. The author did a wonderful research! It does contradict somewhat to the traditional rabbinic view.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. lots of interesting stuffBy Michael LewynThis book addresses a wide variety of issues related to Jewish women in medieval Europe. Generally; the author views the Middle Ages positively; as a time when Jewish women gained status. His discussion of the following issues is especially interesting:*The Ashkenazic ban on polygamy. Grossman suggests that Ashkenazic tradesmen often traveled from country to country; and some had the proverbial “girl in every portâ€. Rabbis sought to limit this practice because of the high risk that one of the wives would be abandoned; or at least be poorer as husbands spent limited assets on multiple spouses.*Levirate marriage – the Torah-endorsed practice of childless widows marrying a brother-in-law in order to keep the dead husband’s name alive. I had thought that as Jewish sages always discouraged this practice and endorsed substitute rituals. But in fact; medieval Ashkenaz was quite divided on the issue. In some communities; levirate marriage occurred as long as either the brother-in-law or the wife wanted it; however; this led to negative results; such as brother-in-laws using the threat of levirate marriage to extort concessions on inheritance issues. As rabbis awoke to this problem; they began to discourage levirate marriage.*Women’s higher economic status than in Muslim lands. In Christian Europe; Jewish women were active participants in family businesses (especially moneylending and other commercial pursuits); and thus achieved high status. By contrast; in Muslim nations both Jewish and Muslim women suffered due to cultural obsessions with modesty; for example; Maimonides wrote that a married woman should go out “once a month or a few times a month.â€*Women were sometimes active in religious life; some sources refer to “women’s synagogues†next to male synagogues; apparently; women’s minyans (which even today are controversial) were allowed in some communities. Although medieval literature is highly anecdotal; Grossman seems to think that Jewish women were less willing to convert to other religious than men; and perhaps more likely to seek martyrdom during pogroms.*In one area; Jewish law may have been more progressive than it is today in some Orthodox communities. The Torah; if read literally; seems to refer only to divorce by males- and that seems to be the modern rule (although modern Orthodox rabbis often use prenuptial agreements to prevent men from holding up divorces for frivolous reasons). However; medieval rabbis held that men could be forced to divorce women in a variety of situations- for example; if the man was impotent. In some places (especially the Muslim world) a woman could force a divorce by refusing to perform household tasks; however; as divorce became more common in the 1300s; Ashkenazic rabbis became more strict.9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. The Medieval Jewish WomanBy Shalom FreedmanThis work is a scholarly study of the life and world of the Jewish woman in medieval Europe during the High Middle Ages; 1000 -1300 C. E. It considers the Biblical and Talmudic influence; thee influence of the surroundings i.e. the Gentile society; and the influence of economic status on the life of the medieval Jewish woman. One important development during this time was an increasing economic role for the woman. There too was to a degree an increase in equality for the woman; this especially when the European societies are measured against the Muslim ones.This work provides important historical and sociological insight not only into the changing reality of the Jewish woman during this time; but regarding the whole process of transformation of the society towards the Modern world.The work is ably translated by one of the finest presently working Hebrew- English translators of Jewish religious literature; Rabbi Jonathan Chipman.
