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The Minuteman

by Greg Donahue

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602439,121 (3.22)None
Declaring war on homegrown Nazis...in Newark, New Jersey. Join writer and documentary producer Greg Donahue as he explores the history of domestic Nazis on the brink of World War II and the Jewish mobsters who stood up to them in this gripping, true-life audiobook. In the early 1930s, pro-Nazi groups popped up across America, attempting to drum up support among recent immigrants for the fascist movement back in Europe. By 1939, a massive rally of some 20,000 homegrown Nazi supporters was held in New York City's Madison Square Garden. While across the Hudson River in Newark, New Jersey, the town's large German population stepped up Nazi recruitment activity. Pro-fascist groups staged parades, screened anti-Semitic films, and organized boycotts of Jewish businesses and politicians throughout the city. Complicating matters, Newark was also the epicenter of the Jewish mob. Abner 'Longie' Zwillman, known as the "Al Capone of New Jersey", had made a fortune in gambling, bootlegging, racketeering, and controlled the city's ports and police force. Not surprisingly, this powerful Jewish gangster took exception to the Nazi's anti-Semitic platform. In response, Zwillman helped organize a group of ex-boxers, factory workers, and students to defend the city's Jewish interests. The group dubbed themselves the Minutemen - ready at a moment's notice - and took to breaking up Nazi gatherings using an intimidating combination of stink bombs, baseball bats, brass knuckles, and pure chutzpah. Greg Donahue's The Minuteman tells the story of one of Newark's native sons - ex-prizefighter and longtime Zwillman enforcer Sidney Abramowitz, aka Nat Arno - who took over leadership of the Minutemen in 1934 and made it his personal business to put an end to what he saw as the homegrown Nazi movement's "anti-American" activities. For six years, Arno and his crew of vigilantes battled Newark's Nazis at every turn. The Minuteman is a story of the ethics of violence in the face of fascism--a forgotten legacy that is as relevant now as it was nearly a hundred years ago.… (more)
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Although this book was not very well written, I enjoyed learning about this story of resistance. The first part of the book was not engaging. I listened to the audio version, and the narrator seemed uninterested as well as judgmental. For a while I thought the hero of the story was the bad guy, due to the narrator's voice. Stories of historical resistance are very rarely shared, and so overall I am glad to have read this book. ( )
  SonoranDreamer | Feb 24, 2020 |
Minutemen vs American Nazis in 1930's in Newark, N.J.
Review of the Audible Original audiobook (Jan. 2020)

The most shocking element here isn't that there were American Jewish vigilantes in 1930's America prepared to fight Nazis, but that there was such a large American Nazi organisation that they could fill Madison Square Garden with a capacity of 20,000+ in 1939.

The lead Minuteman Nat Arno aka Sidney Nathaniel Abramowitz seems to have been an obscure character in this history previously and even his New Jersey boxing history biography seems to be incorrect on various points. i.e. he couldn't have been working undercover for a non-existent 1930's OSS (which wasn't formed until 1942). Greg Donahue has done an excellent job in collecting this history and the narration by Jonathan Davis was well done.

The Minuteman was one of the free Audible Original audiobooks for members in January 2020. It is available to everyone for a standard price.

Trivia and Link
The February 20, 1939 German American Bund rally at Madison Square Garden was documented in a recent 7 minute short film "A Night at the Garden" (2017) dir. Marshall Curry, which can be seen on Vimeo. ( )
  alanteder | Jan 8, 2020 |
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Declaring war on homegrown Nazis...in Newark, New Jersey. Join writer and documentary producer Greg Donahue as he explores the history of domestic Nazis on the brink of World War II and the Jewish mobsters who stood up to them in this gripping, true-life audiobook. In the early 1930s, pro-Nazi groups popped up across America, attempting to drum up support among recent immigrants for the fascist movement back in Europe. By 1939, a massive rally of some 20,000 homegrown Nazi supporters was held in New York City's Madison Square Garden. While across the Hudson River in Newark, New Jersey, the town's large German population stepped up Nazi recruitment activity. Pro-fascist groups staged parades, screened anti-Semitic films, and organized boycotts of Jewish businesses and politicians throughout the city. Complicating matters, Newark was also the epicenter of the Jewish mob. Abner 'Longie' Zwillman, known as the "Al Capone of New Jersey", had made a fortune in gambling, bootlegging, racketeering, and controlled the city's ports and police force. Not surprisingly, this powerful Jewish gangster took exception to the Nazi's anti-Semitic platform. In response, Zwillman helped organize a group of ex-boxers, factory workers, and students to defend the city's Jewish interests. The group dubbed themselves the Minutemen - ready at a moment's notice - and took to breaking up Nazi gatherings using an intimidating combination of stink bombs, baseball bats, brass knuckles, and pure chutzpah. Greg Donahue's The Minuteman tells the story of one of Newark's native sons - ex-prizefighter and longtime Zwillman enforcer Sidney Abramowitz, aka Nat Arno - who took over leadership of the Minutemen in 1934 and made it his personal business to put an end to what he saw as the homegrown Nazi movement's "anti-American" activities. For six years, Arno and his crew of vigilantes battled Newark's Nazis at every turn. The Minuteman is a story of the ethics of violence in the face of fascism--a forgotten legacy that is as relevant now as it was nearly a hundred years ago.

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