Zwillman was a real-life Jewish gangster and Prohibition-era bootlegger who was a member of East Coast racketeering’s “Big Six” throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In the novel, Longy is a powerful boss who does whatever needs to be done to protect his enterprises—and the businesses from which he collects—from FBI scrutiny.
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Longy Zwillman Character Timeline in The Plot Against America
The timeline below shows where the character Longy Zwillman appears in The Plot Against America. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: Never Before
...how Monty could have capitulated to the FBI’s ludicrous charges—but Monty states that because of Longy Zwillman , a Newark gangster who runs the rackets on truckers and merchants like Monty, Monty...
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Chapter 7: The Winchell Riots
...Herman’s suspicious behavior: harboring a “traitor” and quitting MetLife to avoid Homestead 42. One of Longy Zwillman ’s henchmen, Niggy Apfelbaum, brings Monty the news about the FBI agent’s concerns. Monty begs...
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Longy Zwillman and his associates Bullet and Niggy Apfelbaum begin recruiting young Jewish teens to a volunteer...
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