Arts & Entertainment

JEWISH BOOK FAIR

Sandee Brawarsky

Special to the Jewish News

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In Blood Relation,
Eric Konigsberg
explores the life
and crimes of his
hit-man great-uncle.

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arold "Kayo" Konigsberg
has been behind bars
since 1963. He has served
time in more than 15 prisons and
is next up for parole in 2006,
when he'll be 78. No one expects
that this Jewish hit man from New
Jersey — who freelanced for vari-
ous Mafia families and is respon-
sible for more than 20 murders
— to be a free man again.
Growing up in Nebraska, Eric
Konigsberg never heard about his
famous great-uncle. His parents
never talked about him, and when
he'd visit his grandparents in
Bayonne, N.J., Harold was never
mentioned.
He first heard his name in
1985, while attending an Eastern
boarding school. A groundskeeper
at the school, a former New York
City cop who had been on the
mob beat, asked whether the
name Kayo Konigsberg meant
anything to him and explained
who he was. The young
Konigsberg tried bragging to his
schoolmates but it didn't get him
very far, so he soon forgot his
relation.
Ten years later, while working
on a magazine story, a former
detective asked if he was related
to "the famous Konigsberg." His
father then admitted, "That's my
uncle Heshy"
And then in 1997, Eric
Konigsberg found a message on
his voicemail from an unnamed
person who promised a "very
interesting conversation" when he
called back. Harold Konigsberg,
calling-from the Auburn
Correctional Facility, a maximum-
security prison in upstate New
York, had seen his great-nephew's
name in a magazine and realized
there was a journalist in a family.
When the two Konigsbergs
spoke a few nights later, the uncle
invited the journalist to visit.
Blood Relation (HarperCollins;
$25.95) is Eric Konigsberg's
account of his uncle's life, gleaned
from 10 visits to the Auburn facil-
ity over three years, interviews
with family members and also the
families of his victims, and his
examination of extensive court
testimony and FBI records.
More than a biography in

crime, this powerful book is a
nuanced view of Kayo in the
context of his family, and the
author's own reflections on
coming to know and attempt-
ing to understand his uncle.

A Writer's Dream

The book is a much-expanded
version of a 2001 story that
Konigsberg wrote for The New
Yorker, with additional infor-
mation about Harold's many
criminal exploits and
Konigsberg family history.
Some have said that
Konigsberg's experience is a
Eric Konigsberg: "The funny thing about
writer's dream: to discover
that you have an uncle who's a blood is, you can't control how you feel
about your relatives."
Mafia hitman, willing to talk.
In an interview with this
ascended the organized-crime
reporter at a café in downtown
ladder swiftly, and largely by dint
Manhattan near the Writers
Room, where the 36-year old jour- of his violent reputation:'
Konigsberg writes.
nalist works, he explains that
Born a generation after Meyer
when he first met his relative
Lanky, Kayo was active as a
behind bars, he called him Uncle
bookmaker, loan shark, thief and
Heshy. But that felt too affection-
hired killer in the 1940s, 1950s
ate and intimate. He then called
and 1960s. Overweight and bull-
him Uncle Harold, but that also
ish in strength, even in old age, he
seemed too familial, so he
was never one of those finely tai-
switched to Harold, which is how
lored dons who cared about flashy
he refers to him in the book.
clothing and well-made shoes. He
The name Kayo came from a
has
always been more interested
stint as a semi-pro boxer; it was
in
power
than money. What he
derived from K.O., for knockout.
really
enjoys
is the knowledge that
Harold's father, an Eastern
he
put
something
over on people
European immigrant, found suc-
—
especially
those
who had some
cess in the construction business,
authority.
selling a bit of bootleg slivovitz on
In prison, he takes kosher food,
the side.
although
he has a great fondness
The author's grandfather Leo,
for
shrimp.
He seems interested in
who went on to run a large whole-
family
connections,
always asking
sale food business in
his
nephew
about
relatives,
keep-
Bayonne,was Harold's older
ing
track
of
the
generations.
He's
brother; Leo was known to be so
devoted
to
his
two
daughters
and
scrupulous about his reputation
speaks
of
wanting
to
assure
that
that he wouldn't accept a cup of
his grandson has a bar mitzvah
coffee from any of his restaurant
— once he gets out of prison.
clients.
When he was about to marry
One of Harold's sisters told the
his
late wife, an Italian woman, he
author that her brother was a
sent
an emissary to his brother
gangster from the age of 5 on. He
Leo
and
his wife to see if they
was "an illiterate amid a family of
were
comfortable
with his marry-
studious children, a malevolently
ing
a
Catholic.
As
Konigsberg
wild creature in a house full of
Sabbath keepers." When one sister reports, his grandparents could
only laugh. "Every week, we're
won the valedictorian award at
reading about this arrest, that
Bayonne High School, Harold
arrest, and we should have a prob-
stole her medal and hocked it at a
lem
him marrying outside of the
pawnshop.
faith?"
his grandmother said.
By the time he was 23, Harold
was arrested 20 times — mostly
for robberies and assaults. "He

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