Following President Donald Trump's declaration of his intention to reopen Alcatraz, it's time to also learn about our connection to the infamous place. How did Jews obtain matzah during Passover, and what happened to the prisoner who tried to escape using sign language?
The myth of Alcatraz, "The Rock," was built on escape, despair, and hopelessness. But behind the concrete walls, among flashy gangsters and bank robbers, lies a multi-faceted Jewish history – a story of crime, identity, and especially spiritual resilience.
Within the intimidating concrete walls of Alcatraz, America's most infamous prison, lies a fascinating Jewish story that you won't find in official history books. Now, as the Trump administration considers reviving Alcatraz, it's worth remembering the Jewish ghosts that haunt the walls of the notorious prison.
Between prayer phylacteries and smuggled cigarettes
Alcatraz, an American symbol of cruelty and despair, wasn't just home to Italian and Irish gangsters but also to some of the most prominent Jewish criminals in US history. Inside the harsh prison, Jewish inmates refused to give up their identity.
Life at Alcatraz wasn't easy for anyone, but Jewish prisoners faced an additional challenge – maintaining their religious and cultural identity within a hostile environment. Despite the difficult conditions, Jewish inmates managed to organize prayers, observe holidays, and even obtain matzah for Passover – no small logistical achievement on an isolated island where every movement was recorded.
Here enters a key figure forgotten by history, Rabbi Rudolf Kopi, rabbi of the San Francisco community. Kopi was among the first to identify the need of Jewish prisoners to maintain tradition even under impossible conditions. He worked to mobilize the community and brought matzah, kosher wine, and Haggadah to the island. Thus, behind bars, Jewish Passover seders were conducted.
Kopi's initiative became a tradition. Every holiday, every prayer, every matzah eaten represented a small victory over the system. Jewish prisoners fought for their right to kosher food, holidays, and prayer. Despite the conditions and mockery from other inmates, they kept their identity alive with help from the rabbi and community.
The Jewish stars of organized crime
Names like Mickey Cohen, Waxey Gordon, and John Factor don't receive the same public fame as Al Capone, but they were key figures in the 20th-century underworld.
Cohen, who ran a crime empire in Los Angeles, was sent to Alcatraz after being convicted of tax evasion. Waxey Gordon, a financial wizard and alcohol smuggler, became a legend during Prohibition, and John "Jake the Barber" Factor, brother of cosmetics tycoon Max Factor, was a con artist and gambling expert who fled England for the US and became a central figure in Chicago's crime scene.
Another fascinating story that seems like it could have served as the basis for an episode of "Prison Break" is that of Joseph Kratzer, a Jewish bank robber who captivated the entire island when he attempted to escape using sign language – a method that allowed him and his wife Edna to coordinate a sophisticated escape right under the guards' noses. The plan failed, Kratzer was betrayed by his wife, punished with extended solitary confinement, and eventually killed in another escape attempt.
The end: The Jewish legacy of Alcatraz
Alcatraz closed in 1963, with the main reason being the high costs associated with maintaining the prison, which holds the Guinness World Record as the "most secure prison in the world." But the legacy remains. Today, Alcatraz is a popular tourist site, a must-visit destination for any American history enthusiast. Yet in the dark corners between isolation cells and empty yards, Jewish prayer still echoes, carrying a story of identity, survival, and the ability to maintain human dignity even in a place where hope seems nonexistent.
