JULIUS SILVERMAN - THE MALDEN YEARS 1964-1974

Recently, Barry and I have been peppered with questions by our friends regarding Julius Silverman and his possible relationship with Whitey Bulger, Irish mobster recently captured by the FBI. (see Boston Herald)

My acupuncturist asked me if Julius knew Whitey. I said I didn't know but that I would ask Barry. Barry said no, however, he was friends with the Angiulo brothers, Frankie + Jerry from the the Italian Mafia ! (see Wikipedia )  He told me Shirley went shopping in Manhattan for the day with one of their wives. They departed from the '57' restaurant where Julius and Shirley went out on their first date.

WELCOME TO THE MALDEN YEARS 

Enter Julius Silverman. In May, 1963 Shirley went out on her first date with Julius. When he came to pick her up on 104 American Legion Highway, she told me to stay in my bedroom with the door closed. He didn't know about me. Shirley was a bookkeeper and she met and married a bookmaker !

Whitey Bulger, for those who might not be paying attention to the FBI's Most Wanted list lately, was recently captured by the FBI for his alleged role in organized crime in the Boston area, as head of the Irish Mob. (see Wikipedia) His arrest has made national news, major headlines in every newspaper documenting the FBI arresting him in his condo in Santa Monica. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MALDEN SILVERMAN YEARS

Barry was born a year after they married on may 12, 1965 ! I was thrilled ! Finally I had a sibling ! I did not care that he was 15 years younger than me. He was like a living doll that I could take everywhere. When he got older I took him to movies, concerts, museums, etc. When I lived in Cambridge, he stayed over a lot and he still has fond memories of those days and how much fun it was to live in Cambridge on Mass. Ave. right down the street from the Orson Welles cinema, Uncle Bunny's Incredible Edibles ice cream place and an arcade, 1001 Plays that had a three dimensional huge pinball sign.........but i digress......

The FBI came to the door of 45 Lillian Road one morning at 6:30 am; "OPEN UP, THIS IS THE FBI, OPEN THE DOOR OR WE WILL BREAK IT DOWN !!!!  Yikes !

He was arrested on September 12, 1972 after tapping our phones we learned later.  Barry must have been around seven; he was sent downstairs to my room. I was scared to death. The fact that the FBI came to my house was so surreal, it was like I was watching a movie.....how could this be happening in Malden, Massachusetts ? !  To me ?!?! Barry was a little boy...we were both scared to death and cowered under the covers. Barry peeked out and remembers they looked behind the paintings on the wall. Looking for cash. It was a sting operation.  They arrested  a lot of bookies that day in Malden and elsewhere. The story I got was that they all had their cars towed away. Not Julius. The car stayed in the driveway. He was back in a few hours as I remember and then it was back to the Club (operating out of the DAV), business as usual. They took all the phones, from our house and the Club.

*see: On a side note – if you are interested in reading a book about Jewish gangsters and bootleggers during Prohibition, my gangster-historian father (Paul Maccabee, author of John Dillinger Slept Here), recommends the following: But He Was Good to His Mother, Tough Jews, and Meyer Lansky’s biography Little Man.

http://tcjewfolk.com/bootlegging-rabbis/ by Leora Maccabee Aug 21, 2009