ADVANCE PRAISE FOR NEWARK MINUTEMEN
“A roller coaster ride of revenge and avenge. Inglorious Bastards, Peaky Blinders, and Titanic all rolled into one.”
–Kevin Joseph, producer, Fulwell 73 Productions
“An almost unbelievable true tale of the 1930s. Imagining Nazi swastikas draped across George Washington’s portrait feels like a sinister made-for-movie dystopian story.”
–Susan Turley, documentary film producer and executive producer, XRM Media
“Newark Minutemen is a fascinating account about America’s lost history. The unholy alliance of the mob and FBI prevented the story from being printed until now. An untold family story that was meant to be told.”
–Steve Katz, senior vice president, CBS Corp.
“The unlikely love affair in Newark Minutemen carries the epic conflict of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story and the Titanic’s Jack and Rose.”
–Leo Pearlman, managing partner and producer, Fulwell 73
“Newark Minutemen tells the inspiring story of how an unlikely group of Jewish boxers helped wake up Depression-era Americans to Nazis on our doorstep. It is the book for anyone interested in understanding how complacency can be our worst enemy and how the Newark Minutemen were a heroic example of how to fight back.”
–Ethan Tuttle, Congressional intern and University of Maryland student
“Leslie K. Barry’s narrative brings to life in vivid detail a lost era of heroes who give voice to victims even as authorities turn a blind eye.”
–Stacy Friedman, rabbi, Congregation Rodef Sholom
“A rare perspective of 1930s American defending their own soil.”
–Lt. David Hall, United States Navy
“Newark Minutemen is a timeless tale of the vigilance, intelligence, and surveillance necessary to thwart vulnerabilities against our country.”
–Robin Abrams, former director Investigative Services, Entertainment Security Company
“Newark Minutemen is a fascinating story made even more potent by the author’s personal connection. A must read!”
–Rabbi Stacia Deutsch, New York Times bestselling author
“A dramatic tale of the brave Newark Minutemen who with muscular patriotism stopped the American-Nazi’s from wiping their feet on the soul of America.”
–William S. Hochman, short story writer and Newark resident from 1935–1942 who vividly remembers the dangers posed by the German American Bund
“A striking and poignant tale of an oft-neglected part of U.S. history, including the rise of the pro-Nazi movement that gathered 20,000 supporters in Madison Square Garden in 1939 and recruited children to attend Nazi summer camps in New York. An important reminder of the dangers of anti-Semitism and white Nationalism that are still prevalent in our country today.”
–Samantha Parent Walravens, award-winning journalist and New York Times acclaimed author
“The history of the Nazis’ rise to power in the U.S. should be part of every high school curriculum. Why do we not learn about this in school? Recognizing the vulnerability of our democracy will inspire my generation to pay attention to what’s happening in the world, to become more involved, and to not take our freedoms from granted.”
–Satchel Kaplan, high school student
NEWARK MINUTEMEN
A True 1930’s Legend About One Man’s Mission to Save a Nation’s Soul Without Losing His Own
A NOVEL
LESLIE K. BARRY
Inspired by Esther Kaplan and Bruce Levine
NEW YORK
LONDON • NASHVILLE • MELBOURNE • VANCOUVER
NEWARK MINUTEMEN A NOVEL
A True 1930’s Legend About One Man’s Mission to Save a Nation’s Soul Without Losing His Own
© 2021 Leslie K. Barry
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN 9781631950728 paperback
ISBN 9781631950735 eBook
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020904486
Cover photo citation:
German American Bund parade in New York City on East 86th St./ World-Telegram photo. New York, 1937. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/96520973/.
All scripture references are taken from the New Century Version.
Cover Design by:
Katrina Johanson
Interior Design by:
Chris Treccani
Morgan James is a proud partner of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg. Partners in building since 2006.
Get involved today! Visit
MorganJamesPublishing.com/giving-back
In between the world wars, during the Great Depression, American democracy is being threatened by a shadow Hitler-Nazi party in America, complete with a self-proclaimed American Hitler and a 1939 Nuremberg-like rally at Madison Square Garden.
Inspired by a true American legend, Newark Minutemen follows a Jewish boxer trained by the mafia and FBI fights the rising American-Nazi party. During his undercover mission to rid the country of the American Führer, he falls in love with the enemy’s daughter.
Dedicated to
my mother, Esther Levine Kaplan
IN SPECIAL RECOGNITION OF THE NEWARK MINUTEMEN
King David had his massive army with three powerful leaders and his thirty mighty men. His best men were said that one man is equal to a thousand.
–2 Samuel 23:8–39, 1 Chronicles 12:14
Between 1910 and 1940, boxing was the most popular sport in America. Jewish boxers dominated the sport with 20,000 registered fighters and twenty-six world championships. During the 1930s in Newark, NJ, these boxers were recruited by Mob King Longie Zwillman and trained by champion fighter Nat Arno to help the FBI fight a Hitler-shadow party of Nazis taking over America.
PREFACE