Mississippi Synagogue Fire: Arson After Previous Bombing
- A fire damaged the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson,Miss.
- Authorities have charged one person with arson in a fire that badly damaged Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Miss., early Saturday morning.
- Zach Shemper, Beth Israel Congregation president, said he's stunned.
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A fire damaged the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson,Miss. The fire department said arson was the cause.
Hannah Orlansky/Beth Israel Congregation
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Hannah Orlansky/Beth Israel Congregation
Authorities have charged one person with arson in a fire that badly damaged Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Miss., early Saturday morning. The Jackson Fire Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the FBI are investigating.
Zach Shemper, Beth Israel Congregation president, said he’s stunned.
“Crazy things happen all over the world and nothing really hits home until it actually hits directly home,” he told Mississippi Public Broadcasting. “When it hits home, it’s just hard. Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my own head around it.”
Shemper also released a statement saying the synagogue and it’s 150 families are resilient.
Charles Felton, Jackson Fire Department chief of fire investigations, told NPR in an interview on Sunday that flames and smoke caused extensive damage and destroyed Beth Israel’s library, were he says the fire was started. The fire was reported to 911 just after 3 a.m.
“All contents in that library are destroyed. There’s not much that can be retrieved from the library area. The othre portions of the building do not have actual fire damage, but they have damage as far as smoke and soot,” he said.
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