Mississippi's Largest Synagogue, Once Bombed by the KKK, Destroyed by Arsonist: 'We Are Devastated but Ready to Rebuild' By Charlotte Phillipp

A historic synagogue in Mississippi, which survived a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967, was damaged by a fire overnight in an arson attack.

Charles D. Felton Jr., Chief of Fire Investigations for the Jackson Fire Department, confirmed to PEOPLE that units responded to reports of a fire at Beth Israel Congregation, the city’s oldest Jewish synagogue, at around 3:10 a.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 11. Upon arrival, fire crews observed flames coming from the windows of the building.

After the fire was extinguished, an investigation began to determine the cause of the blaze. “Based on fire patterns and video surveillance, fire investigators determined this fire will be classified as incendiary, and a case number was assigned for the crime of arson,” Felton said.

The fire investigations chief confirmed that a suspect, whose name has not been released, was arrested for arson.

“There were no reported injuries to firefighters,” Felton added. “However, the suspect sustained non-life-threatening burns and was arrested at the hospital. The church was closed at the time of the fire.”

Beth Israel Congregation President Zach Shemper shared in a statement that the synagogue was still assessing the damage from the fire.
 
“As Jackson’s only synagogue, Beth Israel is a beloved institution, and it is the fellowship of our neighbors and extended community that will see us through,” Shemper wrote. “We are still assessing the damage to the building, but will be continuing our worship services and other programs — locations to be determined.”

Photos showed the synagogue’s library and administrative offices severely damaged and burned.

According to Mississippi Today, two Torahs were destroyed and five were damaged in the blaze. Temple leaders told the outlet that one Torah that survived the Holocaust was in a glass case and was undamaged in the fire.

“We are a resilient people. With support from our community, we will rebuild,” Shemper continued, announcing that the community had established the Beth Israel Rebuilding Fund to collect donations to assist in repairing the damage.

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“We are devastated but ready to rebuild. We are so appreciative of the outreach from our community here at home and beyond,” he added.

Jackson Mayor John Horhn, who released a statement about the fire on Facebook, said the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are all involved in the investigation.

“The FBI is aware of the incident at the Beth Israel Synagogue on Old Canton Road and the FBI is working with law enforcement partners on this investigation,” the agency confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement.

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, a nonprofit which provides services, education and programming that supports Jewish communities in the South, is based at Beth Israel, and many of its employees are members of the congregation.

In a statement, the institute wrote that they were “grateful that no one was injured in the fire.”

“We are thankful to the first responders, the police, and to everyone checking in on our community. No staff will be working in the building for the time being,” the statement read. “As Jackson’s only synagogue, Beth Israel is a beloved institution, and it is the fellowship of our neighbors and extended community that will see us through.”

Local and national figures have called upon the local community to take a stand against religious hatred.

“Acts of antisemitism, racism and religious hatred are attacks on Jackson as a whole and will be treated as acts of terror against residents’ safety and freedom to worship,” Mayor Horhn wrote on Facebook. “Targeting people because of their faith, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation is morally wrong, un-American, and completely incompatible with the values of this city.”

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) wrote in a statement that its leadership was “outraged” by the arson attack, adding that “antisemitic violence must be confronted clearly, forcefully, and without hesitation.”

“While no one was hurt, the synagogue was extensively damaged, several Torah scrolls were destroyed, and the congregation — the only synagogue in Jackson — was forced to cancel services indefinitely,” the AJC said in part. “This hateful act is only the most recent symptom of the dangerous rising antisemitism facing Jewish communities across the country and around the world.”

Founded in 1860, Beth Israel Congregation is Mississippi’s largest synagogue. The religious center became well-known for advancing civil rights in the 1960s — and in September 1967, Ku Klux Klan members bombed the temple.

Two months later, the white supremacist group bombed the home of Beth Israel’s rabbi, Perry Nussbaum, who had advocated for integration, according to the synagogue’s website. He and his wife were at home during the bombing, but they were not hurt.

On Beth Israel’s history page, the synagogue writes that the bombings “helped to galvanize Jackson’s white community, who realized that resistance to integration had gone too far.”

“Since then, members of Beth Israel have played a vital part in building a more racially just society in Jackson,” the synagogue added.

Shemper said that several local churches have offered their buildings for Beth Israel congregants to use as a worship space while they rebuild.