Posted on January 12, 2026 by Rabbi Noah Diamondstein
Dear Temple Beth-El,
When I was on my family trip to Nashville, TN to visit my mother over New Year’s Day, we drove past the former site of the Nashville JCC. There I saw a sign that taught the history of the firebombing of that JCC in 1958 by the White Supremacist organization, the “Confederate Underground,” as part of a coordinated regional attack on Jewish institutions in the South at the time. I was saddened, though not shocked, to learn of that history, and it immediately brought me back to thoughts of Tree of Life, Colleyville, and so many other antisemitic attacks we have witnessed in recent days.
History is rhyming with itself yet again this week, as authorities have arrested a suspect in connection to the arson attack on Beth Israel Congregation, the only synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi and the home of the offices of the Institute for Southern Jewish Life. While no one was injured in the attack which happened just after dawn, the synagogue was utterly destroyed, as were two of its Torah scrolls (their Holocaust scroll was blessedly kept in a glass case and was thus undamaged) and the community has canceled services indefinitely. Like the Nashville, JCC in 1958, Beth Israel also has a history of such attacks–the synagogue was firebombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 over the rabbi’s support for racial justice — including providing chaplain services to activists incarcerated for challenging segregated bussing in the state.
I am devastated to hear the news of this horrible attack, and it represents yet another chapter in the sad path most of the world is walking down–a path where antisemitic violence is normalized, a path where we grow numb to rising hate. We will keep the Beth Israel congregation in our hearts this week and say a prayer of healing for them at Friday’s Tikkun Olam Shabbat, which I hope you will attend.
I highly encourage you to click this link, which will bring you to Jewish Federations of North America’s donation page for their Beth Israel, Jackson, MS Rebuilding Fund.
I made a donation from my discretionary fund this morning, and I hope you’ll join me in helping this beautiful community get back to their congregational life as soon as possible.
May God comfort their members, and may the world speedily know peace,
Rabbi Noah Diamondstein