Someone set Beth Israel Congregation, a 150 year-old community in Jackson, MS on fire in the early hours of Saturday, January 10. The shul’s library and offices are completely destroyed and there is smoke and soot damage throughout the building.

A suspect is in custody.

This is not the first act of terrible violence against Beth Israel - the building and the home of its then-rabbi were firebombed by the KKK in 1967.

There is an awful lot to be said for the increasing violence and hatred towards Jews and our communities, for how essential local news outlets and local journalists are, and what the rise in support for one with the simultaneous drop in support for the other suggests about our country right now.

In the immediate, BIC’s Rebuilding Fund: