In Northminster’s sanctuary, a silver Star of David stood before a table used for the Shabbat service. A prominent Torah scroll stood in the background.
Congregants embraced in this new space, reading from Hebrew-English prayer books on loan from other synagogues in the region.
“A few days ago, someone tried to wound us, someone tried to destroy what we love, someone tried to tell us that we do not belong in our own city, that being visibly Jewish is dangerous, that being proudly Jewish is a risk,” said Rabbi Benjamin Russell.
He wore a tallis that he took from the library prior to the fire, one of the last remaining artifacts from the synagogue's library.
“Our sanctuary may smell like smoke, our library can burn. Our offices can be damaged, but that is not the end of Beth Israel. Not even close,” said Russell.
Hebrew prayers and music filled the space throughout the 90-minute service and at one point, Russell asked congregants to turn in the direction of Jerusalem, a direction that the Beth Israel synagogue sanctuary had always faced.
Congregants prayed for and recited the names of sick loved ones, those who recently passed but also blessings of thanksgiving for those celebrating birthdays and other joyous celebrations.
“Beth Israel is still here. Jewish life in Jackson is still there,” said Russell. “We are not going anywhere. Because the opposite of fear is not bravery. It is presence.”
Before the end of the service, a young Beth Israel congregant wrote, “Thank you for your kindness. May G-d [sic] bless you. Love, the Israel congregation,” and slipped the note into one of Northminster’s Bibles.
“I think the service tonight was very nice,” said Shira Muroff, a Beth Israel congregant. “I'm not somebody who comes to Friday night services. Obviously, a lot of times, I'm just tired from the week and I sit at home, relax. But I think tonight was a time that it felt very needed to be with community and be with everybody who we've been talking to together throughout the week.”
A Torah that survived the Holocaust was miraculously spared from the fire because of a glass case. Muroff said the archives of the temple, which was founded in 1860, remain safe in a separate part of the building, but added that the library stored ritual artifacts sacred to the Beth Israel community.
“The scrolls with the Hebrew Bible written on it and a smaller arc there,” she said. “I think that's also just those ritual pieces that are harder to replace, signify a deeper kind of hurt when that stuff is destroyed.”
Pittman has been charged with arson at both the state and federal level. The state charges carry a “hate-crime enhancement,” which could result in stronger sentencing.
Muroff said the congregation has received an outpouring of support from various communities in Jackson.
“I think that has just been very special,” she said. “To realize that one person committed this atrocity, that the community is really trying to figure out how everybody can piece together to both make sure this doesn't happen again and support the community in this tough time.”
Pittman is currently in federal custody and is expected to appear in a preliminary and detention hearing Tuesday.
