Suspect Arrested After Arson Fire at Mississippi’s Largest Synagogue

 

A suspect was arrested Saturday night after a predawn fire heavily damaged Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi. The Jackson Fire Department ruled the blaze arson after investigating the fire, which was reported shortly after 3 a.m. No one was injured.

The fire destroyed the synagogue’s library and administrative offices, burned sacred religious items, and damaged multiple Torah scrolls. One Torah that survived the Holocaust was preserved because it was kept in a glass case. The fire broke out during Shabbat, and the congregation has suspended services indefinitely.

Federal authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are assisting in the investigation. Officials have not yet released the suspect’s name or said whether the fire will be charged as a hate crime.

The attack has shaken the Jewish community in Jackson. Beth Israel Congregation is the city’s only synagogue and was previously targeted in a 1967 Ku Klux Klan bombing. Local leaders and neighboring faith communities have expressed support as congregants assess the damage and begin recovery efforts.