JACKSON, Miss. — A fire tore through Beth Israel, the only synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi, on Saturday, leaving the congregation forced to rebuild from the ashes — again.
Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the fire, which remains under investigation, but it comes amid a wave of antisemitic attacks in recent years.
The fire occurred around 3 a.m., according to Jackson Mayor John Horhn. “The Jackson Fire Department responded quickly, contained the blaze and extinguished the fire,” Horhn said.
The FBI is aware of the incident and is working with local law enforcement officials on the investigation, the agency’s field office in Jackson told CNN.
This isn’t the first time the synagogue has burned. On September 18, 1967, Beth Israel’s temple was bombed by local Ku Klux Klan members, in part because of the congregation’s work in the civil rights movement, according to the synagogue’s website.
The congregation intends to rebuild its “beloved institution,” said Zach Shemper, the congregation’s president.
“We are a resilient people. With the support from the community, we will rebuild. Beth Israel Congregation has been the Jewish spiritual home in Jackson, MS for over 160 years,” Shemper said.
The congregation is still assessing the damage but will continue worship services and other programs, and several local churches have offered Beth Israel the use of their buildings as they rebuild, Shemper said.
A suspect is expected to face arson charges, according to Charles Felton, chief of investigations for the Jackson Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Division.
The suspect was found at a local hospital with non-life-threatening burn injuries and, once medically cleared, will be released into the custody of the FBI, which is also expected to file charges, Felton said.
Investigators determined the fire started in the synagogue’s library, which sustained extensive damage, and the destruction continued toward the sanctuary, Felton said. He added that there is smoke damage throughout the building, meaning the congregation will not be able to return for some time.
Several Torah scrolls were destroyed, according to the American Jewish Committee, which condemned the incident as a “hateful act.”
There is “significant” damage to the library and offices of the temple, and smoke and ash throughout the building, Michele Schipper, a past president of Beth Israel, said.
She added that the congregation has had “tremendous support from the community.”
“We’re all devastated, but we are ready to rebuild, and with the support and outreach from our community, we will continue to be a vibrant Jewish community in Jackson, Mississippi,” Schipper said.
The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, a nonprofit that provides services, education, and programming to support, connect, and celebrate Jewish life in the South, is based at Beth Israel, and many of its employees are members of the congregation.
“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,” a statement from the institute said.
In the US, antisemitic incidents have been on the rise for several years, with Anti-Defamation League data showing the number for 2024 reached its highest level since the organization began tracking in 1979. According to the FBI, which enforces federal hate crime laws and collects statistics on acts of violence, threats against Jews in the US far exceed those against any other religious group.
“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. “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.”
Carole Zawatsky, CEO of The Tree of Life, the Pittsburgh synagogue that in 2018 saw the deadliest-ever attack on Jewish people in the US, called the attack on Beth Israel “horrific.”
“We mourn the destruction and the loss of security and safety that comes in the aftermath of such violence,” she said. “The intentional burning of a Jewish house of worship — especially one with a storied — causes fear and raises the specter of antisemitism and hate
