Jewish Telegraphic Agency

After synagogue arson, Jackson’s Jews find solidarity, and complexity, at interfaith prayer service

We live in the buckle of the Bible Belt,” said Beth Israel Congregation's leader. “We just have to be grateful for the ...

At Jackson prayer service, people of many faiths support Beth Israel after synagogue arson

Beth Israel Congregation Rabbi Benjamin Russell and Congregation President Zach Shemper expressed gratitude for the ...
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

‘We are not made of wood and paper’: Jackson synagogue marks first Shabbat after arson

“We will not only survive, we will thrive,” the congregation’s student rabbi and spiritual leader, Benjamin Russell, told his ...
The Forward on MSN

Over $1 million donated to support Mississippi synagogue damaged in arson attack

Zach Shemper never expected to spend Shabbat on the bimah of one of the largest congregations in America, but that’s where ...
Jewish Insider

Mississippi’s Jewish community rallies after antisemitic arson

Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson has received support from churches and Jews all over the country, and has seen a revival ...

Video of arsonist before setting Beth Israel synagogue on fire in Jackson, MS

Beth Israel was also bombed in 1967 by the Ku Klux Klan. Artifacts that survived bombing were lost in the weekend fire.
Opinion
The Forward on MSNOpinion

What Jackson, Mississippi’s only synagogue means to its city — in the wake of arson, and beyond

When Beth Israel Congregation was dedicated in Jackson, Mississippi, in the summer of 1875, the occasion was marked with a procession that began in front of City Hall. A local paper reported that the ...