Final_Judgment

[80] Final Judgment 141
Cohen differentiated between the Italian elements in organized crime,
popularly known as "the Mafia" and "La Cosa Nostra" and the Jewish forces
sometimes satirically called, "the Kosher Nostra."
"It's an organization. It's more what I would refer to as a syndicate.. .
So it was an organization, but it wasn't the Mafia. Being Jews, Benny and
me and even Meyer couldn't be a real part and parcel of that [the Mafia]." 211
(The "Benny" to whom Cohen referred was the aforementioned
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, the lifelong friend and crime partner of Lansky's.
It was Lansky who ultimately ordered Siegel's assassination.
(We will learn much more about the Lansky-Siegel-Cohen connection
in Chapter 13 where we uncover Cohen's own pivotal role in the JFK
assassination conspiracy.)
It was not, in fact, until the infamous Mafia conclave at Appalachian,
New York, in 1957 when the media began hyping "the Mafia" as a major
force in organized crime.
Americans had long been aware of legendary mobsters such as Al
Capone and Lucky Luciano, but general awareness that a national crime
syndicate did indeed exist was not commonplace.
Following a police raid of the Appalachian conference—attended
exclusively by top Italian-surnamed Mafia figures from around the country—
public attention began focusing on "the Mafia"—thanks to the media.
MAFIA IN TURMOIL/LANSKY ON TOP
The official story has always been that a local policeman just happened
to stumble upon the Mafia conclave at the home of Mafia figure Joseph
Barbara. He called in reinforcements and a major "bust" took place.
However, according to Hank Messick, the police had been tipped off by a
Lansky associate that the meeting was about to take place. Messick
described the consequences of the Appalachian raid :
"The delegates were scattered before any alliance could be reached. And
the publicity caused the greatest heat since the 1930's. It focused not only
on the men who attended the session but on the entire Mafia. What's more,
it continued for well over a year as state and federal officials tried to find
some charge to stick against the delegates they had captured or identified.
"Not only were Mafia leaders immobilized by the continuing publicity,
but also they were demoralized. Almost instinctively they rallied to Lansky
and other non-Mafia syndicate leaders for advice and assistance." 212
Perhaps not coincidentally, one of the young attorneys who played a
key role in the Appalachian raid was one Justin Finger. It was Finger who
later went on to become chief of the "civil rights division" of the Anti-
Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, the primary intelligence and propaganda
arm of Israel's Mossad in the United States.
213 In subsequent chapters,
Chapter 17 in particular, we will examine the role of the ADL in the JFK
assassination cover-up in more explicit detail.