Suspect Held After Arson at Mississippi Synagogue

Mississippi's largest synagogue was badly damaged in a fire Saturday that authorities say was intentionally set, and officials said a person is in custody. No congregants were hurt in the blaze reported just after 3am at Beth Israel Congregation in northeast Jackson, officials said. But the historic synagogue's library and administrative wing were heavily damaged, and temple leaders said multiple Torah scrolls were lost or damaged. One scroll that survived the Holocaust, displayed in a glass case, was not harmed, Mississippi Today reports. Beth Israel was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 over the rabbi 's support of civil rights.

A suspect was taken into custody Saturday night by local fire investigators, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Authorities did not immediately identify the suspect or specify potential charges, and investigators said they had not yet determined a motive for the crime. In a statement Sunday, per WAPT, Mayor John Horhn said: "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."

Congregation members spent the day trying to salvage sacred items and assessing the damage, per Mississippi Today. The fire burned the synagogue's Tree of Life, a plaque that honors and records special occasions for congregants such as bar and bat mitzvahs. Congregation President Zach Shemper said Beth Israel has received support from other local religious communities. Horhn, 70, was 12 when the temple was bombed. "I do remember that the Jewish community and the African American community in those days formed alliances and partnerships to fight racism, to fight injustice, to fight mistreatment of citizens for whatever reason," he said. Beth Israel, the only synagogue in Jackson, has suspended services indefinitely.