Suspect arrested after a fire damages a historic Mississippi synagogue
A person was taken into custody late Saturday after a fire ripped through a synagogue in Mississippi, heavily damaging the historic house of worship in what authorities say was an act of arson. No one was injured, reports say.
The blaze erupted at the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday. Photos showed the charred remains of an administrative office and synagogue library, where several Torahs were destroyed or damaged, synagogue leaders said.
Charles Felton, the chief fire investigator at the Jackson Fire Department, confirmed the arrest late Saturday to Mississippi Today, but did not provide the suspect’s name or charges. No injuries were reported. Felton said the department determined the fire was arson.
The synagogue, the largest in Mississippi, was the site of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967 — a response to the congregation’s role in civil rights activities, according to the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, which also houses its office in the building.
“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,” the institute said in a statement.
The synagogue’s president, Zach Shemper, said the congregation was still assessing the damage and had received outreach from other houses of worship, according to Mississippi Today.
One Torah that survived the Holocaust was not damaged in the fire, the outlet reported.
Both the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation, according to Mississippi Today.
Inquiries to Beth Israel and the Jackson Fire Department were not immediately returned.