Zach Shemper, president of the Beth Israel congregation, received a call about the fire around six o’clock Saturday morning. He immediately went to the temple, where flames had already been extinguished but damage remained.
“The total library and everything in it including two Torah's, sacred scriptures, it was all burned up in a huge fire with gasoline or some kind of accelerant that they poured over everything,” Shemper said. ”Right in front of our administrative offices. They did a pretty good job of damage.”
The temple's main sanctuary has also been suffered smoke damage, with soot visible. Beth Israel is the only Jewish congregation in Jackson and Shemper said it has previously faced threats and other fires.
“We've had bomb threats before that were illegitimate,” said Shemper. “We've had scares before. Before my time there was a bombing by the KKK of the temple, and Rabbi Nussbaum's house. But this is our third building that we've been in.”
Those bombings occurred in 1967. In 1874, another fire destroyed the synagogue’s original building.
“We did have video footage on our security cameras of a white male with a hoodie on and a mask inside the building pouring gas or some kind of accelerant from a gas can,” said Shemper. “I also have footage from another source of the truck leaving right after the windows blew out."
Shemper said he learned that the suspect initially went home and, upon realizing the extent of his injuries, left for a local hospital. The hospital then informed authorities about the burns.
“Honestly, before the authorities even came to do the investigation at our temple I believe they already had the suspect in custody and they already suspected this gentleman because he had posted antisemitic comments and such on social media,” he said.
The FBI was not able to confirm identifying features or social media posts on accounts associated with the suspect.
Shemper said his community is devastated but ready to rebuild, stating that area churches have offered space for worship.
“We've had a temple here for 150 years,” he said. “The Jews in Jackson, we're workers that have been in Jackson. We're doctors, we are scrap dealers, we were teachers. We were just part of the regular program of people in a city.”
There has been a national rise in antisemitic crimes. In 2024, ADL found that there had been 9,354 antisemitic incidentsacross the United States.
“How can something like this happen? Or how can you make sure it doesn't happen? I think the answer to that is you really can't,” Shemper said. “You can have as much security as you want to. You can do as many preventative measures as you want to, but if somebody wants to hurt a person or a people, they're always going to figure out a way.”
Shemper said congregants have established a rebuilding fund.
“We are resilient people and with the support of our community, we are going to rebuild. We've been a congregation and this has been our spiritual home here in Jackson for over 160 years.”
Israeli Consul General of the Southeastern United States Eitan Weiss says he has reached out to local authorities and synagogue leaders to offer support.
“I was really disheartened and stricken when I heard that the synagogue Beth Israel was torched by culprits, and it's really, really sad,” he said. We live in the 21st century, and there's no room for anti-Semitism or hate crimes against anyone, especially not against the Jewish community.
No other injuries occurred in relation to the fire.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn has condemned the fire, writing in a statement “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.”
Other agencies involved in ongoing investigations include the Jackson Police Department and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
