A 'deliberate attack on Jews': Community condemns arson attack on Mississippi synagogue
The Times of Israel••nation
Key Points:
- Mississippi’s largest synagogue, Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, was severely damaged by an early Saturday morning arson attack, with security footage showing a masked suspect igniting the fire in the lobby.
- Authorities arrested a suspect with non-life-threatening burns at a hospital, and investigations involving the FBI and ATF are ongoing, though no motive has been officially released; Jewish leaders have condemned the act as a deliberate hate crime.
- The fire destroyed parts of the building, including two Torah scrolls and the synagogue’s library and administrative offices, rendering the facility unusable, while the main sanctuary and a Holocaust-era Torah were spared.
- Community and civil rights leaders, including Jackson’s mayor and the Anti-Defamation League, strongly denounced the attack
