Mississippi synagogue burned in arson attack, suspect in custody
A suspect was in custody Saturday after an apparent arson attack set a Mississippi synagogue ablaze, destroying Torahs and prompting an investigation involving the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The blaze broke out shortly after 3 a.m. at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, the state’s largest synagogue. No congregants were injured, officials said.
Photos from the scene showed severe damage to an administrative office and the synagogue’s library, where several Torahs were destroyed or damaged.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn confirmed that a person was taken into custody following an investigation that also included the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
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“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,” Horhn said in a statement.
Officials did not immediately release the name of the suspect or what charges the person was facing.
Beth Israel Congregation was previously targeted in a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967, an attack linked to the synagogue’s involvement in civil rights efforts, according to the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, which also operates from the building.
“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,” the institute said in a statement.
The American Jewish Committee also released a statement saying it was “outraged” by the alleged attack.
“This hateful act is only the most recent symptom of the dangerous rising antisemitism facing Jewish communities across the country and around the world,” it said.
The Anti-Defamation League called the incident a “deliberate, targeted attack on the Jewish community.”
“Beth Israel survived a KKK bombing in 1967,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “That it has been attacked again, amid a surge of antisemitic incidents across the US, is a stark reminder: antisemitic violence is escalating, and it demands total condemnation and swift action from everyone — including community leaders, law enforcement, and government officials.”
The synagogue’s president, Zach Shemper, said the congregation was still assessing the damage and had received outreach from other houses of worship, according to Mississippi Today. Shemper added that services will be suspended indefinitely.
One Torah that survived the Holocaust was not damaged in the fire, the outlet reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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