Max Finkelstein (March 5, 1884–May 3, 1940) was a captain in the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest i ...

Police career

As president of Shomrim, a fraternal order of

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

police officers, he became famous in 1938 when

Fiorello H. La Guardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City from ...

picked him to lead a special squad whose job was to safeguard visiting officials from

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and guard the German consulate. A popular belief was that La Guardia's decision to appoint Finkelstein and the other Jewish officers was inspired by actions taken by

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, when he was

New York City Police Commissioner The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The commissioner is respons ...

, who assigned 40 Jewish police officers to protect, and make look "ridiculous",

Hermann Ahlwardt Hermann Ahlwardt (21 December 1846 – 16 April 1914) was a writer, a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) and a vehement antisemite. Life After stealing money collected for a children's Christmas party in 1889, Ahlwardt was fired from hi ...

, when he gave an anti-semitic speech in New York. While a popular story published by the Times during a later period of anti-Nazism, this story is not supported by news articles of the time and in fact the names of officers printed during Ahlwardt's 1895 visit are Anglo or Irish names, such as Cartright and O'Brien, not generally used by Jews. The Nazis reacted to Finkelstein's appointment with anger. A photo of Finkelstein appeared on the front page of the Nazi newspaper ''

Der Angriff ''Der Angriff'' (in English "The Attack") is a discontinued German language newspaper founded in 1927 by the Berlin Gau of the Nazi Party. The last edition was published on 24 April 1945. History The newspaper was set up by Joseph Goebbels, wh ...

'', which decried the choice of Finkelstein and the other Jewish officers as a "provocation" and wondered how Americans would react if their diplomats in Germany were placed under the protection of black policemen.

Death

In 1940, after 29 "spotless" years with the New York City police, Finkelstein requested retirement. However, after being told "that he would be required to face charges of accepting irregular

bail bond Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries, ...

s", he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

. ''The New York Times'' reported that 10,000 people "thronged the neighborhood" during Finkelstein's funeral. Finkelstein was interred in

Montefiore Cemetery Montefiore Cemetery, also known as Old Montefiore Cemetery, is a Jewish cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens, New York, established in 1908. The cemetery is called by several names, including Old Montefiore, Springfield, or less commonly, just ...

in Queens.

Depicted on stage and screen

Finkelstein's experience guarding Nazi diplomats in New York served as the basis for a character in the 1939 Broadway play ''Margin for Error'' by

Clare Boothe Luce Clare Boothe Luce ( Ann Clare Boothe; March 10, 1903 – October 9, 1987) was an American writer, politician, U.S. ambassador, and public conservative figure. A versatile author, she is best known for her 1936 hit play '' The Women'', which h ...

. The play was made into a film of the same name in 1943. The film was directed by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

and the Finkelstein character was played by

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

References

External links

* 1884 births 1940 deaths New York City Police Department officers Jewish American police officers Suicides in New York City {{US-crime-bio-stub