Kosher Mafia #1: Kvelling or kvetching? You decide.

Kosher Mafia by author David Hazan and artist Sami Kavelï  is a crime thriller set in 1936’s Cleveland Heights, Cleveland, that revolves around Howard Berkowicz, a bookkeeper for the Jewish mafia, who winds up being on the wrong end of an mob hitman because of his efforts to turn the tides of the rising pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic fervor that was springing up around the country. The hitman in question, Ephraim Gold, is a ruthless killer, who has almost no qualms in killing someone that his bosses tell him to. These two couldn’t be more opposite, but the trajectory of this story, and where it leads to is the book’s strongest point.

The book is a fictional historical crime drama set during a tenuous time set before the United States entered World War II. It’s a thoughtful, introspective look at a time when the majority of the U.S. was very sympathetic with the Nazi regime, something that’s often glazed over with your average high school history lesson. Howard and Ephraim are two men who couldn’t be further from each other. Howard is a white collar guy trying to make a living for his family. He has some qualms over working with the Jewish mafia, so he lies to his wife. Ephraim is a cold blooded killer, who will pistol whip or shoot someone, and not feel any qualms about it.

The majority of this story is set at Howard’s kitchen table, where the two men have a conversation about who they are, and how they got to where they’re at. Howard, while portrayed as a meek individual, who lives by his convictions. Despite being pushed around by others, the organization still insisted on speaking to the mob bosses to enlist their aid against the Nazi regime that was laying waste to the Jewish population across Europe. It’s this chutzpah that impresses Ephraim, as they continue their conversation, giving him a change of heart that leads to the next stage of their relationship-they’re going to abduct, and kill a kraut.

Sami Kivelä is the artist here, and their style fits well with the wartime noir themed storyline. His style is very straight forward, and he doesn’t waste the space that’s allotted during the storyline. His style is reminiscent of the late, great Tim Sale, and it invokes some of his work over the years. Since the majority of the story revolves around the gentlemen’s conversation, it falls on Kivelä’s art to tell it through facial expressions, body language, and story composition. The characters here emote fear, anger, humor, and that’s what the story calls for in order to properly convey the gravitas that’s needed for a story like this.

Hazan leans into this with the characterization here, giving these two a depth that is very subtle, and it’s this subtlety that is the ultimate payoff. Hazan and Kivelä delivers a provocative and interesting story that takes place during a particularly dark period for the Jewish people. One can’t help to notice the similarities between the veritable powder keg of anti-Semitic fervor that’s coming from both sides of the political spectrum, that I fear could overshadow the message of the book.