Not for nothing

[Sam Flynn]

Hello Herlock

You seem very sure that he wasn't 'pretending' to be a Jew?

Given that by far the most likely reading of the graffito is that it was anti-semitic, it's more likely that its author wasn't pretending to be a Jew. We'd be in triple-bluff territory (at least!) if that were the case.

[Abby Normal]

Could be Harry but I still can't help wondering about the time gap. Why did it take 40+ minutes for him to get to Goulston Street to discard the apron?

I'm thinking time to go home drop of knife and goodies, get cleaned up a bit and grab a piece of chalk.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I still think the GSG is just one of those coincidences. I don't see a fleeing killer ducking into an alleyway to write that. The killer didn't want to tell us about his intentions or taunt the authorities, he just wanted to make a weak jab at the Jews? I could definitely see him ducking in to tidy up, which is why he took the rag with him in the first place. He ditched it, it happened to fall near some graffiti on the wall, and the police put 2 + 2 together and got 5.

Could be Harry but I still can't help wondering about the time gap. Why did it take 40+ minutes for him to get to Goulston Street to discard the apron?

[Harry D]

I still think the GSG is just one of those coincidences. I don't see a fleeing killer ducking into an alleyway to write that. The killer didn't want to tell us about his intentions or taunt the authorities, he just wanted to make a weak jab at the Jews? I could definitely see him ducking in to tidy up, which is why he took the rag with him in the first place. He ditched it, it happened to fall near some graffiti on the wall, and the police put 2 + 2 together and got 5.

[Herlock Sholmes]

The Goulston Street Graffito is obviously anti-semitic. Its author was not a Jew, nor pretending to be one.

Hi Sam,

You seem very sure that he wasn't 'pretending' to be a Jew? All that I was suggesting was that, if the GSG was written by Jack (and of course we can't be sure of that), then one possible interpretion 'could' be that he was trying to inflame feelings against the Jewish community by saying 'I'm the killer and a Jew and the authorities will never believe that a Jew is guilty.' Just one potential interpretation amongst many.

[cnr]

If JTR hated Jewish people...Why murder women down on their luck?

Excellent question, Bill. See link to last month's article by British journalist Robert Philpot giving a brief overview of my thesis:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/were-the-jack-the-ripper-murders-an-elaborate-anti-semitic-frameup/

As to the GSG I think Rabbi Adler hit the nail on the head pretty much immediately when looking at the strange spelling of the word 'Juwes':

"I am convinced that the writing emanated from some illiterate Englishman who did not know to spell the word correctly…"

Also, it is my opinion the graffito was a reference to the anti-Semitic riots post-Chapman: recall the chant of "no Englishman".

Stephen.

[Sam Flynn]

I guess it depends on linguistic interpretation, Sam.

Indeed, Scott, but the fact remains that the most immediate impression is one of anti-semitism, whether its author intended it or not.

[StevenOwl]

Is there an example of a serial killer who killed X to blame Y?

The Manson family killed rich white people in the hope the murders would be blamed on poor black people.

[Scott Nelson]

The Goulston Street Graffito is obviously anti-semitic. Its author was not a Jew, nor pretending to be one.

I guess it depends on linguistic interpretation, Sam. My take has always been that it was written by a Jewish kid who listened to his father complaining about being bilked by gentile customers at the Spitalfields Market (or an approximate scenario thereby). Thus, it was not an anti-Semitic sentence, but a very sympathetic one.

[Robert St Devil]

Commissioner Warren would not have erased the graffito if the word wasn't some obvious version of "Jews". he wasn't worried about a riot breaking out against the judies, juries, &c.

i have it: "the jewes are not the men to blame for nothing" with the possibility of the cursive lettering of "ewe" causing confusion.

[Sam Flynn]

We could view Jack as possibly anti-Semitic if we interpret the GSG as if he was pretending to be a Jew to turn people against the Jews even more than many of them already were. So, in effect, he could have been saying 'I'm Jewish, I'm killing your women, but I'll never get blamed (because I'm a Jew)'

The Goulston Street Graffito is obviously anti-semitic. Its author was not a Jew, nor pretending to be one.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Interesting questions, Bill.

The chances that Jack was an anti-Semite are good, simply because there was a lot of that present in Victorian London.

The Jews have generally been blamed for things through out history, so on the face of the GSG it is just a true statement, at least from the anti-Semite's viewpoint.

As to why Jack killed unfortunate women, mostly Christians, think back to the Middle Ages and the blood-libel that Jews murdered Christian children for their own sinister reasons. These stories popped up from time to time, usually leading to bad times for the local Jewish population.

If Jack was a hater of Jews, why not kill Christian women, some of them near the Jewish part of Whitechapel? And leave the GSG and apron fragment in case the police need a hint?

If we believe the Dear Boss letter (I know many don't), Jack was also "down on whores", which may offer another reason for his attacks being on women of the Unfortunate class.

Hi Pat,

We could view Jack as possibly anti-Semitic if we interpret the GSG as if he was pretending to be a Jew to turn people against the Jews even more than many of them already were. So, in effect, he could have been saying 'I'm Jewish, I'm killing your women, but I'll never get blamed (because I'm a Jew)'

[Pierre]

QUOTE=Pcdunn;427206

The chances that Jack was an anti-Semite are good, simply because there was a lot of that present in Victorian London.

So being anti-Semite was not connected to one strictly personal identity but to many.

The Jews have generally been blamed for things through out history, so on the face of the GSG it is just a true statement, at least from the anti-Semite's viewpoint.

And they were many.

As to why Jack killed unfortunate women, mostly Christians, think back to the Middle Ages and the blood-libel that Jews murdered Christian children for their own sinister reasons. These stories popped up from time to time, usually leading to bad times for the local Jewish population.

From "unfortunate women" to "mostly Christians" in one sentence. "Being Christian" is not a victimological explanation!

If Jack was a hater of Jews,

or if he liked a drink now and then. Or if he lived in Whitechapel. Or if he worked in Whitechapel. If he did what many others did.

why not kill Christian women,

Because all of those people who "hated Jews", had a drink now and then, or lived and/or worked in Whitechapel DID NOT KILL CHRISTIAN WOMEN.

some of them near the Jewish part of Whitechapel? And leave the GSG and apron fragment in case the police need a hint?

A hint meaning what? That he killed Christian women because he was like everybody else who "hated Jews"?

If we believe the Dear Boss letter (I know many don't), Jack was also "down on whores", which may offer another reason for his attacks being on women of the Unfortunate class.

Do we need that letter to understand the victimology? No.

Pierre

[Pcdunn]

This is probably a stupid question but ...

If JTR hated Jewish people, why not kill Jews? Why murder women down on their luck? I know, I’ll kill X because I don’t like them anyway and then blame it on the group I’d really like to erase – quite an abstract methodology that would indicate intelligence?
Is there an example of a serial killer who killed X to blame Y? As far as I know, no victims were of the Jewish faith?
JTR left that message after several murders. I think he’s saying, I’m clever, or sharper than you.

Interesting questions, Bill.

The chances that Jack was an anti-Semite are good, simply because there was a lot of that present in Victorian London.

The Jews have generally been blamed for things through out history, so on the face of the GSG it is just a true statement, at least from the anti-Semite's viewpoint.

As to why Jack killed unfortunate women, mostly Christians, think back to the Middle Ages and the blood-libel that Jews murdered Christian children for their own sinister reasons. These stories popped up from time to time, usually leading to bad times for the local Jewish population.

If Jack was a hater of Jews, why not kill Christian women, some of them near the Jewish part of Whitechapel? And leave the GSG and apron fragment in case the police need a hint?

If we believe the Dear Boss letter (I know many don't), Jack was also "down on whores", which may offer another reason for his attacks being on women of the Unfortunate class.

[Pierre]

QUOTE=Sam Flynn;427164

Whether it was ambiguously spelled, misspelled, blurred or not, the graffito self-evidently speaks about the Children of Israel, and nothing - or nobody - else.

"The children are not the men..." sounds reasonable.

Pierre