"Jew(ish) lightning"

[Joel S. Berson]

Not in the OED, nor had I in my sheltered upbringing heard it
before.  Urban Dictionary says "To set your house or business on fire
on purpose to get the insurance money."

For "Jewish lightning", about 13,000 Google hits.   For "Jewish
lightning", 230 Gbooks hits.  For "Jew lightning", perhaps 3 genuine
of 8 GBooks hits.

A.  Jewish lightning, before 1980.

1)  1974.  Black Mafia; ethnic succession in organized crime, by
Francis A. J. Ianni.  Allegedly page 133.

"You mean it wasn't no Jewish lightning." "Nah, not any neighborhood
lightning either. Who around here wants to burn down a bar?" "Hey
right." Manchu said softly, "If it ain't been axed to death, I hear
there's plenty of whiskey in that ...

Snippet, but "From inside the book" for a reason unknown to me shows
entirely different text.

2)  1975 alleged.  Jewish spectator: Volumes 40-41.  Page 10.  Snippet.

Put them all together and they spell Jewish Lightning, a novel which
proves that Robert Klane is to books what Mel Brooks is to movies.

[Meaning unclear.  I did not find a book with this title in WorldCat.]

3)  1978.  In Espy, "O thou improper, thou uncommon noun".

B.  Jew lightning.

1992, Blood of Our Fathers, by Sonny Girard.  Snippet.

"As you get closer to the holidays, we'll keep selling off your extra
stuff to our people, an' you'll keep filling in. Then in January,
before your biggest bills come due . . ." He snapped his fingers.
"Whap! Jew's lightning. ...

Page alleged to be 223.  But again the display "From inside the book"
is a completely different excerpt.

[Two other allegations, but they do not reveal any surrounding text.]

Joel

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