The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum opens up the 2024 Jewish Book Festival
The Gilded Age had a blossoming criminal underworld led by none other than a nice Jewish mother: a lady who possessed remarkable savvy and finesse, while carrying out her countless crimes: Frederika Mandelbaum, possibly America’s first great crime lord.
And who exactly was this successful thief? She emigrated from Germany with her husband, Wolfe, where both had been peddlers. Upon arrival in New York, both continued this trade, buying, and reselling scavenged items until they were able to purchase a dry goods store in Lower Manhattan, with Wolfe remaining largely uninvolved in his wife’s future endeavors. However, within four years this establishment served as a front for her criminal operations, as she now needed a place to store stolen items. Indeed, a fence-extraordinaire, she began financing thieves and burglars, being central in some of the city’s largest thefts in history, including the Ocean National Bank. “Marm”, as she became known, was all the while a respected congregant in her local synagogue.
Standing nearly 6 feet tall, weighing close to 300 pounds, Marm, who was often bedecked in a variety of jewels, sealskin, ostrich feathers, and silk was quite a sight. Gangs composed of blackmailers, confidence men and the very best pickpockets were in Marm’s employ. In fact, Marm was constantly on the lookout for new talent, who she could successfully recruit to teach her pickpocket and thieving talents. se was a loyal friend to these crooks, whom She never betrayed, often procuring bail for them. Meticulous bribes while paying off local police and politicians were a constant with Marm. This activity continued for some thirty years, and, while she also became one of the most prominent hostesses in New York’s society, Marm continued her very close relationship with several of the most notorious criminals, such as Sophie Lyons and Georg Leonidas Leslie.
Marm’s preferred objects were jewels and silk, both of which she acquired easily, selling at a huge profit. But she basically would accept anything of value, storing items for a short time in her shop, which had secret rooms and dumbwaiters. The streets of Manhattan, teeming with a variety of nefarious scoundrels and Tammany Hall notables, were growing by leaps and bounds. Marm’s meticulously organized schemes continued to be successful until the 1980s when after continuing to pay off law enforcement, Marm’s downfall began when Pinkerton Agency became involved.
The New York City district attorney hired a Pinkerton detective in 1984 to infiltrate Marm’s astonishing operation, which also featured one of her grown children, Julius. Using an alias, the detective learned how to price silk—he was then introduced to Marm, through a supposedly loyal client. Marm began overseeing business with the detective.
Soon after this, the police were able to raid Marm’s warehouse, coming upon the countless bolts of silk the detective had sold Marm, in addition to a bounty of treasures. Trunks were overflowing with jewels and silverware; antique furniture, stacked high, was pushed against the walls. Melting pots and scales used to weigh gold and jewels were discovered. Seemingly, this could be the end of Marm’s lucrative business practices. Then soon after, upon Marm and Julius’ arrests, Marm issued a public statement that she’d never knowingly accepted stolen goods, nor had she ever stolen anything in her life, nor bribed police nor had their protection. She spoke on Julius’ behalf, as well. When the detective advised Marm to make a clean breast of it she reportedly punched him in the face! She continued protesting her innocence, but her $10,00 bail was set, and her trial was scheduled. However, just one day before her day in court, Marm and Julius skipped bail, escaping to Hamilton, Canada; the cash and jewels she managed to sneak out were valued at $1 million, enough to offer her a lovely life in her new home. But the story continues. . .
“The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum,” an impeccably researched study of the “Queen of the Fences,” was written by Margalit Fox, whose awarded works include “Conan Doyle for the Defense;” “The Confidence Men;” “Talking Hands;” “Riddle of the Labyrinth.”
Initially trained as a cellist, she earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in linguistics, then, additionally, a master’s degree in journalism. She is considered among the foremost literary stylists in American journalism. Recently retired from her 24 year career with the New York Times, Margalit Fox was a member of the newspaper’s obituary news department, writing farewells to such well-known illustrious figures such as Betty Friedan; Maya Angelou; Maurice Sendak, as well as Dear Abby and Ann Landers.
A staff editor before joining the Obituary Department, she spent ten years with The New York Times Book Review. She was awarded the Front Page Award for feature writing from the Newspaper’s Club of New York in 2011, then again in 2015 for best reporting. In 2016 the Poynter Institute named Margalit Fox one of the best six writers in New York Times’ history.
Margalit Fox lives in Manhattan with her husband, writer and critic, George Robinson.
Andrea Tarr is a Jewish Boof Festival Committee member and a contributing writer to JLife Magazine
