January 13, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. – Button Man by Andrew Gross
New York, 1930s. Morris, Sol, and Harry Rabishevsky grew up poor and rough on the Lower East Side, until the death of their father forced them to fend for themselves and support the family. Morris, the youngest yet most driven of the brothers, apprentices himself to a garment manufacturer; bookish Sol drops out of accounting school; and Harry, always the tough one, believes he can help out by learning the ways and means of a charismatic local crime figure. Later, when Morris and Sol find career success and decide to create their own business, Harry can’t be lured away from the glamour and prestige that comes from being a “button man” – a gun man – for Louis Buchalter, now the most ruthless mobster in the city. When Buchalter sets his sights on the unions that control the garment factories, a fatal showdown becomes inevitable, pitting brother against brother. The New York Times called this an unforgettable tale of a Jewish family torn apart by the birth of organized crime.
Our Book and Film Club is open to all interested adults in the area. All meetings and materials are in English. The meetings will be held on the second Monday of each month, unless otherwise indicated.
A 10 NIS donation is requested when films are shown.
See the full Marsha Razin z”l Book & Film Club schedule here.