A suspect has been arrested in Mississippi in connection with an incident that saw a fire burn and damage a 19th-century synagogue over the weekend.
The alleged arsonist, whose name has not been released by authorities, targeted the Beth Israel synagogue in the capital of Jackson early Saturday morning. He was arrested and charged with arson later that day. The person was hospitalized for non-life-threatening burn injuries.
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The Jackson Fire Department successfully extinguished the fire, but the flames managed to damage or destroy several Torahs in the synagogue’s library. No one was injured or killed.
Authorities have not said whether the incident constitutes a hate crime, but Jackson Mayor John Horhn framed it as an attack on the Jewish faith and religious freedom.
“Acts of antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred are attacks on Jackson as a whole and will be treated as threats to our residents’ safety and freedom to worship,” Horhn said Sunday morning. “Targeting people because of their faith, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation is morally wrong, un-American and incompatible with the values of this city.”
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“Jackson stands with Beth Israel and the Jewish community, and we’ll do everything we can to support them and hold accountable anyone who tries to spread fear and hate here,” he added.
The Jackson Fire Department’s arson division and the Jackson Police Department are leading the investigation in coordination with the ATF, the FBI, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. After being discharged from the hospital, the suspect will be taken into FBI custody.
Beth Israel, Jackson’s only synagogue and the oldest in the state, was founded in 1860. Over the years, it has faced much damage. The building was once destroyed by fire in 1874. And in 1967, the Ku Klux Klan bombed the synagogue. No one was killed in that attack.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) recounted the history of the building in a post on social media.
“The arson against Beth Israel is a repeat of history. In 1967, the Ku Klux Klan bombed the same synagogue in a campaign of terror directed at Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, whose home was also bombed for his righteous alliance with the Civil Rights Movement,” Ritchie wrote on X.
“Domestic terrorism against Jews never happens in a vacuum,” he said. “Instead of extinguishing the fires of antisemitism, American politics is often guilty of fanning the flames.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) also released a statement condemning the antisemitic attack.
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“Our hearts are with the members of Beth Israel Congregation,” Wicker posted on X. “We stand together with them as do all the caring people of Mississippi. We denounce violence and find attacks on places of worship especially despicable.”
The investigation into the synagogue-burning incident remains ongoing.