Was Jack a Kosher Killer?

[Vigilantee]

Details of Kosher slaughter (from http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm)

Ritual slaughter is known as shechitah, and the person who performs the slaughter is called a shochet, both from the Hebrew root Shin-Cheit-Tav, meaning to destroy or kill. The method of slaughter is a quick, deep stroke across the throat with a perfectly sharp blade with no nicks or unevenness. This method is painless, causes unconsciousness within two seconds, and is widely recognized as the most humane method of slaughter possible.

Another advantage of shechitah is that it ensures rapid, complete draining of the blood, which is also necessary to render the meat kosher.

The shochet is not simply a butcher; he must be a pious man, well-trained in Jewish law, particularly as it relates to kashrut. In smaller, more remote communities, the rabbi and the shochet were often the same person.

Draining of Blood
The Torah prohibits consumption of blood. Lev. 7:26-27; Lev. 17:10-14. This is the only dietary law that has a reason specified in Torah: we do not eat blood because the life of the animal (literally, the soul of the animal) is contained in the blood. This applies only to the blood of birds and mammals, not to fish blood. Thus, it is necessary to remove all blood from the flesh of kosher animals.

The first step in this process occurs at the time of slaughter. As discussed above, shechitah allows for rapid draining of most of the blood.

[Jon Guy]

Hi Vigilantee

I would say not, based on the fact that the Shochet,as you have noted, has to cut the throat with a clean cut. Certainly not the cut exhibited by our man, and he was operating ( maybe apart from Annie Chapman) on prone bodies, whereas the Shochet, produces a clean cut on a live animal.

[Chris George]

Hi Vigilantee

I would say not, based on the fact that the Shochet,as you have noted, has to cut the throat with a clean cut. Certainly not the cut exhibited by our man, and he was operating ( maybe apart from Annie Chapman) on prone bodies, whereas the Shochet, produces a clean cut on a live animal.

The other thing about the Shochet theory, as with theories that involve a slaughterer or a surgeon, is where would be the thrill of the knife cutting if you do that all the time, if that is your "day job" as it were.

Chris

[Mitch Rowe]

Hi Vigilantee

I would say not, based on the fact that the Shochet,as you have noted, has to cut the throat with a clean cut. Certainly not the cut exhibited by our man, and he was operating ( maybe apart from Annie Chapman) on prone bodies, whereas the Shochet, produces a clean cut on a live animal.

I went through that one day. Comparing what JTR did to what a Shochet would do. I found that JTR broke pretty much every sacred rule.

But that wont rule out the fact that JTR may have been involved in Jewish slaughter rituals. Maybe as a helper or maybe as a child and it affected him in some manner.

[Gatsby]

The other thing about the Shochet theory, as with theories that involve a slaughterer or a surgeon, is where would be the thrill of the knife cutting if you do that all the time, if that is your "day job" as it were.

Chris

Hi Chris,

Good post. I too feel that JTR got a thrill (likely sexual) from committing these murders.

That is, for me, the biggest reason why it doesn't make sense the he would have been in any profession where he was regularly slitting throats/removing organs etc.

[Limehouse]

I too, feel there was a sexual element to these murders but also strong evidence of anger. Therefore, although I repsect the shochet theory, I do not think there is much evidence of it considering the mess that Jack made of his victims. I think he wanted to rip open the flesh to expose the innards, possibly to skillfully remove organs, but equally possibly to cause as much damage as possible.

[The Grave Maurice]

Vigilantee,

The most complete and thoughtful discussion of the shochet theory continues to be Robin Odell's book Jack the Ripper in Fact and Fiction. Latch on to a copy of that if you can.

[HollyDolly]

Was Jack a Kosher Killer?

Could he have been,possibly.But as someone points out,if the Ripper was a shochet or even a regular butcher,they kill animals everyday,are around blood all the time,so where's the thrill.
Not to say that this man couldn't have turned to the profession BECAUSE
he was obssesed for some reason with blood and killing.Certainly a way to satisfy ones blood lust and not worry about being arrested by the police.
Of course,there was a great deal of anger towards women,either a relative or someone heonce cared about.She had betrayed him,so he was making this woman pay through his victims.

Read a book about Paris in the reign of the Terror,and they mentioned that of the professions that engaged in rioting and murder the one group with the least amount of members participating were the butchers and slaughter house workers of Paris.Very few of them got invovled.

[Scott Nelson]

Only on Saturdays.

[Stephen J Ash]

There are actually three different questions involved in this thread

1) Was he a kosher butcher?

2) Did he know the techniques of kosher butchers and use them?

3) Did he badly emulate a kosher butcher?


I'd say only (3) is plausible.

Though I suspect he was a devout jew (probably) and so almost certainly familiar with the concept.

[Vigilantee]

Most sexual murderers have a religious mindset, I think its almost certain he came from a very religious family whether Jewish, Catholic or some fringe sect.

[Ben]

I really don't think that's the case, Vigilantee.

[Vigilantee]

Not in every case perhaps but statistically its most like. Sexual serial killers have problems with sex and this usually has religion at its roots somewhere.
Christie and Sutcliffe came from a religious background as did many others, a lot were victims of abuse but then we have to look back further to see the source of this.

[Ben]

Not "usually", Vigilantee, but rather "sometimes".

In some cases, yes, but it certainly isn't "most likely" statistically.

Occasionally a sexual serial killer will "use" religion as a means, when captured, of portraying themselves themselves as a hapless looney whose actions are dictated God etc etc, but that's usually an attempt to be committed to a hospital rather than a prison.

[Fisherman]

Letīs not forget that butchers, kosher butchers or not, have one trait in common that Jack seems to have lacked: The ability to sever a head from the body, using a knife.

It was tried on Chapman, as evinced by the notches in her backbone, and her killer failed to complete it, for the simple reason that he did not possess a butcherīs skills.

The best,
Fisherman