Beth Israel Congregation is located in Jackson, Mississippi and is the oldest and largest synagogue in the state. Over the weekend, an arsonist set fire to the building, doing significant damage.
We are outraged by the arson attack that severely damaged Beth Israel Congregation, the largest synagogue in Mississippi.
While no one was hurt, the synagogue was extensively damaged, several Torah scrolls were destroyed, and the congregation— the only synagogue in Jackson —… pic.twitter.com/CkPqLLFMeR
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) January 11, 2026
Local news outlet Mississippi Today reports:
The fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. at Beth Israel Congregation on Old Canton Road. No congregants were injured.
The library and administrative offices of Jackson’s only synagogue were reduced to charred ruins. Two Torahs were destroyed and five were damaged in the flames that erupted during Shabbat, the weekly Jewish day of rest, according to temple leaders. One Torah that survived the Holocaust was in a glass case and was undamaged in the fire.
Beth Israel has suspended services indefinitely.
“We have already had outreach from other houses of worship in the Jackson area and greatly appreciate their support in this very difficult time,” the congregation president, Zach Shemper, said in a statement.
The fire department quickly determined the blaze was arson and a suspect was arrested. Just in the past hour or so he has ben identified and reports indicate he confessed.
In an interview with authorities on Saturday, the suspect identified as Spencer Pittman admitted to setting Beth Israel on fire calling it the “synagogue of Satan,” the complaint says.
According to the complaint, Pittman traveled from his home in Madison County, stopped at Mac’s Gas in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and then went to Beth Israel.
Pittman also confessed to starting the fire in text messages to his father who alerted authorities, the complaint says.
The texts included a photo of the rear side of the synagogue with messages such as “There’s a furnace in the back,” “BTW my plate is off,” “Hoodie is on,” and, “And they have the best cameras.”
Later that the day, the father said he observed burns on his son’s ankles. Pittman admitted to lighting Beth Israel on fire and laughed while describing what he did, the complaint says.
They actually found him at a local hospital where he was being treated for burns. Once he’s cleared by doctors, he’ll be going into FBI custody.
This particular synagogue has been attacked before. Nearly 60 years ago an arsonist connected with the Klan tried to burn it down.
In September 1967, the synagogue was bombed by local Ku Klux Klan members. Its rabbi at the time, Perry Nussbaum, was outspoken against racism and segregation.
That attack heavily damaged offices and a conference room in the synagogue’s administrative wing, and caused an estimated $25,000 worth of damage, The New York Times reported at the time. No one was inside at the time. The sanctuary was not affected.
Two months later, Rabbi Nussbaum’s house was bombed by the same group, the synagogue said on its website. Although the rabbi was home with his wife at the time, no one was seriously hurt.
There is some other information circulating about Spencer Pittman but it hasn’t been confirmed so I’m not going to post it yet. He appears to be 19-years-old. So where did the anti-Semitic impulse come from? At the moment that’s not clear.
I do want to throw out one more thing, and this is pure speculation on my part so take it with a big gain of salt. Given his age and his somewhat odd behavior (laughing about the arson with his father) I wonder if there’s a possibility of undiagnosed schizophrenia. He’s the right age (19) when that sort of thing crops up in some people. I’m not trying to provide him an excuse, but I’m sort of getting that sense from his behavior and even some photos of him (which again, haven’t been confirmed yet).
He’s in custody now and he’s confessed so he’s not going to get away with anything. We’ll have to stay tuned to see if a judge orders a psychological evaluation before his trial.
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