An unknown individual set fire on Sunday to the largest synagogue in Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, in a possible antisemitic act. The Beth Israel temple is known in the southern United States for having suffered an attack by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 because its rabbi supported civil rights.
The fire occurred at 3:00 local time (9:00 GMT) at the Beth Israel temple, where firefighters extinguished the fire moments later, but the flames destroyed parts of the synagogue. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Joint Terrorism Task Force arrived at the scene.
«Acts of antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred are attacks on Jackson as a whole, and will be treated as acts of terrorism against the security of residents and their freedom of worship,» stated Mayor John Horhn in a press release.
For now, authorities have not detailed the identity or motive of the attacker, so it is still unknown whether the incident will be investigated as a hate crime or an act of terrorism, although they have already determined it was a «premeditated arson».
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) considered that «this act of hate is only the latest symptom of a dangerous rise in antisemitism that Jewish communities are facing across the country and the world».
«Although no one was injured, the synagogue was extensively damaged, several Torah scrolls were destroyed, and the congregation, the only synagogue in Jackson, was forced to indefinitely cancel services,» lamented the AJC in a statement.
Additionally, U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres highlighted the synagogue's historical significance, citing that the Ku Klux Klan bombed it in 1967 in a «terror campaign» against Rabbi Perry Nussbaum for being allied with the Civil Rights Movement.
An FBI report in August last year reported a 5.8% annual increase in antisemitic attacks in the United States in 2024, also revealing that Jews are the target of 70% of hate crimes motivated by religion, according to the AJC.
