--- title: Finding Strength After a Synagogue Fire in Mississippi description: In the Deep South, an act of antisemitism sparked an extraordinary act of unity, write Lindsay Baach Friedmann and Zach Shemper. canonical: https://time.com/7378086/mississippi-synagogue-arson-fire/ author: Lindsay Baach Friedman article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-02-13T10:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T13:38:31.514Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Finding Strength After a Synagogue Fire in Mississippi og:description: In the Deep South, an act of antisemitism sparked an extraordinary act of unity. og:url: https://time.com/7378086/mississippi-synagogue-arson-fire/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd68450df079d2ecf/6998cf2f1f67092167f5755b/Beth-Israel-Mississippi-.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: Beth Israel Mississippi Fire og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Finding Strength After a Synagogue Fire in Mississippi twitter:description: In the Deep South, an act of antisemitism sparked an extraordinary act of unity. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd68450df079d2ecf/6998cf2f1f67092167f5755b/Beth-Israel-Mississippi-.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  IDEAS Time ideas # Finding Strength After a Synagogue Fire in Mississippi > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=f5d1ed5d-d74a-4127-bb88-096acdb1018e&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Lindsay Baach Friedman](https://time.com/author/lindsay-baach-friedman/) and [Zach Shemper](https://time.com/author/zach-shemper/) Lindsay Baach Friedman is Regional Director of the ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) South Central Region. Zach Shemper is the congregational president of Congregation Beth Israel in Jackson, Miss. Feb 13, 2026 10:00 AM UTC  Boards cover the charred remains of the Beth Israel Congregation library, which was set on fire on Jan. 10, 2026 in Jackson, Miss. Boards cover the charred remains of the Beth Israel Congregation library, which was set on fire on Jan. 10, 2026 in Jackson, Miss. Sophie Bates—AP by [Lindsay Baach Friedman](https://time.com/author/lindsay-baach-friedman/) and [Zach Shemper](https://time.com/author/zach-shemper/) Lindsay Baach Friedman is Regional Director of the ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) South Central Region. Zach Shemper is the congregational president of Congregation Beth Israel in Jackson, Miss. Feb 13, 2026 10:00 AM UTC In the Deep South, family and community ties run deep. The southern Jewish community is no exception. We are bound by ties of faith as a small minority in a mostly Christian part of the country. There are only around [2,900 Jews living in Mississippi](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-population-in-the-UNITED-STATES-by-state). Louisiana’s Jewish population is nearly 20,000, less than one-half of 1% of the state’s total population. We are bound by ties of family, sharing roots going back generations. And we are bound by ties of community, having attended the [same summer camps](https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/08/17/jewish-summer-camp/), showed up at each other’s family celebrations, and felt each other’s pain. On Jan. 10, a 19-year-old man [poisoned with antisemitic beliefs](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/13/us/stephen-pittman-mississippi-synagogue-fire-wwk) broke into the Beth Israel synagogue, the [oldest synagogue in Mississippi](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/us/mississippi-beth-israel-temple-judaism.html), and used [gasoline to set fire to the building’s interior](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdms/pr/madison-man-arrested-arson-beth-israel-and-goldringwoldenberg-institute-southern). In an interview with law officers, the arsonist characterized this building as a [“synagogue of Satan”](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/fbi-says-man-targeted-mississippi-synagogue-in-arson-attack-because-of-its-jewish-ties) and admitted to targeting the building because of its “Jewish ties.” Jewish ties have held this community together for generations, and Jewish ties are what are motivating us to stay the course and to rebuild. This community isn’t going anywhere. Our two communities of New Orleans and Jackson, Miss. share many common bonds and a history of helping one another in times of trial. In Aug. 2005, when [Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans](https://time.com/hurricane-katrina-10-years-later/), members of the Jewish community of Jackson welcomed members of the New Orleans community into their homes as they waited for the city to rebuild. For many, Beth Israel Congregation became their second spiritual home. When the New Orleans community heard about the arson attack in Mississippi, everyone sprang into action. Word spread quickly, and one of us—Lindsay Baach Friedmann—immediately swung into action, jumping into her car to make the three-hour drive up to Jackson. It was one of several visits Lindsay made over the next few weeks. On Lindsay’s second trip to Jackson, she was invited to attend the first Shabbat service after the fire, which was being hosted in a local Baptist church. Word about this trip went out in her temple bulletin, and her rabbi insisted that she should not go empty-handed. The community started cooking (this, after all, is New Orleans). By the time Lindsay was ready for the road trip, her car was loaded to the roof with king cakes, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and a Praline king cake challah. Her car smelling like a bakery, Lindsay drove the entire 190 miles without once turning on the heat to ensure the delicacies arrived in perfect condition for the Oneg Shabbat service. Lindsay unloaded the car and met several of the pastors, who shared the story of the church’s founding and its connective roots to the synagogue. It turned out that when this Baptist church was founded some 50 years ago, they needed a home, and the synagogue offered them a place to pray until their church was built. Now, they were returning that favor by taking in the Jewish congregation and lending them an indefinite home. That night, the community celebrated Shabbat together marking the resilience of this historic Jewish community and their commitment to their future. Following services, the remaining king cakes were taken to the local firehouse and shared with the first responders who battled the fire. This week, we took Beth Israel’s story to Washington, D.C. One of us, Beth Israel’s president Zach Shemper, joined Anti-Defamation League team members in meetings with legislators to urge Congress to protect funding for enhanced security for synagogues and other houses of worship, starting with [increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program](https://jewishinsider.com/2025/12/2026-jewish-organizations-lobbying-agenda/) and [support for the Pray Safe Act,](https://jewishinsider.com/2025/09/senate-house-lawmakers-pray-safe-act-houses-of-worship-security/) which would create a central database of security resources for institutions. No community should have to endure a tragedy like this alone. And with the right action, we can make meaningful progress toward ensuring it never happens again. We envision a country where people of different faiths pray together. A country where people still watch out for each other, not because of mistrust, but because they genuinely care for each other. A country where people can make something better after a tragedy. In the weeks since the arson attack, Beth Israel has been supported by neighbors and people of different backgrounds and beliefs who have stood together with compassion and resolve. That is the America we believe in. [TIME Ideas](https://www.time.com/ideas) hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. 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