Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, MS, was set on fire in the predawn hours of Saturday, January 10. The city’s fire department ruled it as arson later that night, and a suspect was soon apprehended and is now under indictment. He reportedly told investigators he targeted the building over its “Jewish ties.” The fire destroyed two Torahs and damaged five others along with many prayerbooks and left the library in ruins.
Mississippi’s largest synagogue—and Jackson’s only synagogue—has had a rich, and often difficult, history since its founding over 150 years ago. In 1967, the Ku Klux Klan bombed Beth Israel after Rabbi Perry Nussbaum spoke out against racism and segregation. Nearly six decades later, this recent attack reminds the community of all they have endured.
“Hatred has a through line, and whenever you see one form of hatred, whether it’s homophobia or racism or antisemitism, you will see them all.”
The synagogue is home to around 140 families, creating a vibrant Jewish community in Jackson. Since the tragedy, the Jewish community has seen their friends and neighbors reach out in support.
Yolanda Savage-Narva, the vice president of racial equity, diversity and inclusion (REDI) for the Union for Reform Judaism, spoke with Moment about the significance of this synagogue in Jackson. Savage-Narva says she grew up “spiritual” in Jackson and connected with Judaism as an adult, more formally 10 years ago as an adult Bnai Mitzvah. Savage-Narva got her professional start in public health, and her activism evolved into a focus on racial justice and equity issues. She believes in working with Black and Jewish people to bridge divides and build a stronger community.
This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.
What is your relationship with Beth Israel?
It’s one of the Reform congregations in the Union for Reform Judaism. We have about 819 congregations across North America that affiliate or are Reform congregations, and Beth El is one of our congregations.
How did you feel when you heard about the attack?
I felt violated, honestly. I grew up in Jackson, and I know that Mississippi doesn’t have many synagogues. It made me feel sad that such a sacred place was treated with such disrespect and hatred and antisemitism.
What has the response been among your friends and neighbors?
It’s been really interesting. Friends that I know from Jackson who are not Jewish have been reaching out, saying that they were shocked. Some even rode by Beth Israel and said they saw so many people in solidarity. Seeing the community come together, I think, was really powerful for people to witness.
They were also saying that they unfortunately had learned about the Jewish community in a way that was not the way they wanted to learn about it. They were learning that Jews are susceptible and vulnerable to hate and antisemitism. I think it was really eye-opening for them.
Are you worried about rising antisemitism in Jackson?
I know the history and the roots of both antisemitism and racism in Jackson and in Mississippi. And this was a little surprising for me, but we actually shouldn’t be surprised, because hatred has a through line, and whenever you see one form of hatred, whether it’s homophobia or racism or antisemitism, you will see them all. They all orbit one another. And so while I was surprised to hear about something so horrific, I’m not totally caught off guard by it. In the 1960s there were signs that were visible for everyone to see outside of their restaurants and establishments: “no [N-word]s, no Jews, no dogs.” These signs were all over the place. So antisemitism has always existed there. I just hadn’t seen a resurgence in this way in a long time.
How does the history of Beth Israel shape the identity of the Jackson Jewish community?
In the 1960s, Jews in the South really had to walk a fine line, because of the sign I just mentioned to you, because of the possibility of violence, and of course what happened to that very same synagogue in 1967. It was also challenging for Jews who were coming from the North to stand in solidarity with civil rights leaders. I imagine this all translates to a sense of insecurity for Jackson’s Jews today. It tells us that we have so much more work to do and that this fight isn’t over; it just reshapes itself in different forms.
Why is it important for Black Jews to be a part of the conversation in Mississippi?
I think it’s really important for Jews of color, especially Black Jews, because of the history of Mississippi, Freedom Summer, the civil rights movement. Given the solidarity between the Black and Jewish communities in the 1960s, it’s really important to bring Jews who live these intersecting identities into these conversations so we can share the nuance and the challenge that we face by having ancestry from both the Jewish community and the Black community. The perspectives are unique. It doesn’t erase others’ perspectives, but these perspectives and stories need to be a part of the narrative as well.
Top image courtesy of Beth Israel Congregation.