Our Gang: Jewish Crime and the New York Jewish Community, 1900-1940
Jenna Weissman Joselit - 1983
First, both arsonists and horse-poisoners relied on the insularity of the Jewish community for their respective success. ... Of all the offenses commonly associated with New York Jews, arson or “Jewish lightning,” as it was popularly called, ...
https://books.google.de/books?isbn=0253203147
Why Do People Call Arson ‘Jewish Lightning’ — And Is It Anti-Semitic?
Aviya Kushner, May 18, 2017
(...) And though all the preceding examples are American, the phrase “Jewish lightning” is also part of British culture. The British spy novelist John le Carré was asked about his portrayal of a Jewish tailor in London in his novel “The Tailor of Panama,” in an interview (...) "The insurance companies, many of which were Jewish, referred to “Jewish lightning” when unfortunate fires burned down warehouses in the East End."
https://forward.com/culture/372158/why-do-peo...