My Dad and Organized Crime

Sol Horowitz, born 1n 1903, lived the first generation American dream. A moderately successful dress manufacturer, he had his office and factory on 38th Street in New York, at 1385 Broadway. He and his friends were not exactly Damon Runyon characters, but they were close.

My Dad was a fine man, as well as a good Father to my brother and me. I can't speculate about his relationship with my Mom, but they did stay together as a couple until my Moms death in 1957. Dad did have a problem - gambling. If it were capable of moving, he would bet on it. He craved action, and if all else failed, he would bet with me. When he once asked me whom I would take in a Pro Football game, I said I would take the Giants plus 7 points. He countered with "I'll give you 6." I showed him the newspaper, which had the game at 7, and I'll never forget his reply, "So bet with the newspaper."

He used the services of many bookmakers to handle his bets. One of them was a man named Alvin Paris, known to me as Uncle Alvin, who owned a flower shop on 39th Street that I expect was a cover for his bookmaking activities. He also provided the flowers for, and attended my Bar Mitzvah in June of '45. It was at the Concourse Plaza Hotel, and everyone had a grand time, including my Dad's friends and many bookmakers.

It was a cold Sunday morning in the Bronx in December of '45 when ? as I did almost every day ? I went to the newsstand and bought a Daily News and a Daily Mirror. As a got off the elevator at our floor I looked at the papers for the first time and was shocked by what I saw on the front page of both papers: there was Uncle Alvin in handcuffs being led away into a squad car by a group of New York's finest. I ran into my apartment shouting to everyone "Uncle Alvin has been arrested." My dad took the papers from me and announced to the family that Uncle Alvin had bribed a bunch of NY Giant football players to throw the championship game. Everyone was shocked, including my Dad. Apparently Uncle Alvin was involved with a group of gangsters to do this horrid thing, Today they would have been called "organized crime" but at that time they were just gangsters. My dad always had told me that "bookies" never "fixed" sporting events and that it was always gamblers who did it. Not this time however.

Since my Dad had a relationship with Uncle Alvin, and Uncle Alvin was connected to criminals, ergo, my Dad had "connections, and contacts with "organized crime."

I expect that if this had happened today, the story would have reported that my Dad, Solomon Elias Horowitz, had "links" to organized crime.

Now fast forward almost 60 years.

Each time I hear that the Iraqis, or others for that matter, have "links, connections, or contacts to the 9/11 terrorist acts, I want to get up and shout, "What does that mean exactly? Did they have lunch together, drinks, or perhaps just shake hands?"

We are a well-educated society, so it shouldn't be too difficult for the administration to explain exactly what they mean when using these words. Are we not entitled to a bit of clarification? Can someone please define what it means to have "links" to anyone?

I was once proud of our American electronic media, but that time has long since gone. How can the Broadcasters merely repeat the allegations of the administration (in particular Vice President Cheney) that all the "bad guys" had links to the horror of 9/11?

What is keeping the television networks from doing on television what Michael Moore has done in the theaters? Even if the broadcasters don't approve of the way Moore presented the material, they should present it themselves. If they are to serve in the "public interest, convenience and necessity," we need the networks to tell America the truth. Is that too much to ask? I don't think so.

Edward R. Murrow, where are you when we need you?

Norman Horowitz
Proud to be an American

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