Arrest made in alleged arson fire at historic Mississippi synagogue
A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of igniting a fire that damaged the only synagogue in Mississippi's capital city, authorities said on Sunday.
The fire unfolded around 3 a.m. on Saturday at the historic Beth Israel Congregation temple in Jackson, the same synagogue that was bombed in 1967 by the Ku Klux Klan, officials said.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn said in a statement that a person suspected in the blaze has been arrested following an investigation by the Jackson Police Department, the Jackson Fire Department's Arson Investigation Division, the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The name of the suspect and the charges filed against the individual were not immediately released.
A motive for the fire remains under investigation. But Horhn said in his statement, "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."
"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," Horhn said.
Jackson Fire Chief RaSean Thomas also released a statement, saying, "We stand with this community and affirm that hate has no home here. Jackson is stronger when we stand together."
No injuries were reported. The blaze caused severe damage to the synagogue's administrative office and its library, according to ABC affiliate station WAPT in Jackson.
"We are working with fire investigators and appreciate the community's support," Zach Shemper, president of Beth Israel, told WAPT.
In April 2018, the synagogue was honored with a historical marker on the Mississippi Freedom Trail for the role it played in the civil rights movement.
"The leadership and people of Beth Israel Congregation provided a beacon of hope during a difficult chapter in our history," Craig Ray, director of Visit Mississippi, the tourism division of the Mississippi Development Authority, said in a statement when the historical marker was announced.
In 1964, Perry Nussbaum, who was then the temple's rabbi, joined other ministers in founding the Committee of Concern and raised money to rebuild African-American churches burned by the Ku Klux Klan.
In 1967, just six months after Beth Israel moved into its new synagogue, it was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in a targeted attack on the temple and Nussbaum's office, according to the Visit Mississippi statement.
