Antisemitism as a diversionary tactic

[Abby Normal]

One has to keep in mind that serial murder isnt as easy as seems to be implied alot. Im sure there was many nights when he went out hunting and came home empty handed. Hes not going to be successful ebery time he tries. So keep that in mind when summing up liklihood of also trying to finagle in all the jewish elements and if they were deliberate or coincidence.

[Abby Normal]

When CAL was a boy, living in Tiger bay, the area was populated largely by gentiles, with a high proportion of prostitutes. By 1888, they had largely moved out and been replaced by east European Jews. Visiting his old Ma, he would have been very much aware of that change and may have resented it.

The other thing about Dukes Place of course is that on the sabbath the area would have been filled with Jews of all conditions, from the lowliest sweat shop workers to the top-hatted rich in their carriages. It would be one thing for a resentful gentile to rub shoulders with poor Jews in Petticoat Lane, something altogether different and more galling to see them in their sabbath finery.

Nowhere would that experience have been so dramatic as in the immediate environs of Mitre Square. I doubt you would have bumped into a Rothschild in 3 Kings Court.

At the other end of the scale, where would you have found a greater concentration of Jewish political agitators than the Berner Street club? 'A regular hell' according to Charles Booth's researcher in 1887.

Interesting gary
Thanks for posting this.

[MrBarnett]

Interesting gary
Thanks for posting this.

You're welcome.

I'm quite interested in how and where CAL grew up. This is the wrong thread for that of course, except to the extent that the Jewish colonisation of the area may have affected his outlook.

[rjpalmer]

Which makes me wonder if JtR knew Barnett was a fish porter to cast suspicion on him.

Fish porters don't gut fish.

https://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-barnettporter.html

[Batman]

Fish porters don't gut fish.

https://www.casebook.org/dissertatio...ettporter.html

I was looking at photos of them awhile back going around the place with boxes on their heads and yeah it looks like they are simply porters, but would JtR know that?

[rjpalmer]

At the risk of being pedantic, is it entirely accurate to call the I.W.E.C. a "Jewish social club"?

There is no doubt that the great majority of its members were Jewish (a contemporary account states that 2/3rds of the members of the I.W.M.A. were Russians or Poles) but it was primarily a political organization. It was anti-Rabbinical, anti-Zionist, and many Jews probably considered it anti-religious.

For example, in an interview, Mrs. Mortimer refers to it as "the Socialist Club," stressing its politics, not its ethnicity.

It is natural for us Gentiles looking back to call it a "Jewish Club," I suppose, but in a district so full of Jews, it would have been seen more specifically as a political body. In some ways it was very much at odds with the Great Synagogue. It wasn't promoting Zionism or the Hebrew religion, it was promoting labor unions.

[MrBarnett]

This is how Charles Booth's researcher saw it in 1887:

[drstrange169]

Since many of the members had denounced the Jewish faith, like Deimshitz, and were actively demonstrating against that faith, you could call it an ex-Jewish club!

[drstrange169]

Hey Gary, was Booth referring to the club as a "regular Hell" or "Hind and Co?

I could understand a Booth referring to a business like that, but why would the club be hellish?

It's not as if Booth was some kind of right wing fanatic.

[MrBarnett]

Hey Gary, was Booth referring to the club as a "regular Hell" or "Hind and Co?

I could understand a Booth referring to a business like that, but why would the club be hellish?

It's not as if Booth was some kind of right wing fanatic.

I don't see why a sack warehouse would be so described. Booth's researchers were accompanied by policeman and I suspect a lot of the comments are their opinions.

[Sam Flynn]

Unless of course the 'Jewishness' of the DE was a ploy to draw attention away from slaughtermen and back onto a Jewish suspect. Then it works

But, after the 'success" of the DE, he seemingly abandoned the ploy for his next, most outrageous, murder.

[MrBarnett]

But, after the 'success" of the DE, he seemingly abandoned the ploy for his next, most outrageous, murder.

References to the revival of the slaughterman theory seem to peter out in mid-Oct. Job's a good un.👍

[MrBarnett]

I don't see why a sack warehouse would be so described. Booth's researchers were accompanied by policeman and I suspect a lot of the comments are their opinions.

I should add that the survey was of households and not businesses, so although he mentions Hind and co in passing, the entry concerns the caretaker of the club and I would assume the comments "Jews", a dirty lot and a regular hell relate to the club.

[Sam Flynn]

References to the revival of the slaughterman theory seem to peter out in mid-Oct. Job's a good un.👍

That may well be, Gary, but I still can't see that there's much evidence for an "antisemitism ploy" (or any other for that matter) being used by the killer throughout the case.

[Batman]

This is how Charles Booth's researcher saw it in 1887:

[ATTACH]18827[/ATTACH]

Seems hell was a popular word for Ripper letter writers and Booth researchers.

When Booth says 'regular' hell, I think he means 'regular' Whitechapel hell.