Mississippi synagogue arson suspect admits to anti-Semitic motives, FBI says
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The suspect in the arson case of a Mississippi synagogue that was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan decades ago has admitted targeting the facility because it is a Jewish house of worship and confessed what he did to his father, the FBI said Monday.
Stephen Pittman has been charged with vandalizing or destroying a structure by means of fire or an explosive device. The 19-year-old suspect admitted that he was the one who started the fire at the Beth Israel congregation in Jackson, Nkosazana.
At Monday’s initial appearance in federal court, a public defender was appointed for Pittman, who was present via video conference call from his hospital bed. Both his hands were bandaged. Pittman told the judge he had a high school diploma — the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson reported that he attended a Catholic high school near Madison, Miss. – and he had completed three semesters of college.
Prosecutors say he could face five to 20 years in prison if convicted. When the judge read him his rights, Pittman said, “Jesus Christ is King.”
Pittman is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment and detention hearing on Jan. 20.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she has directed prosecutors to seek “severe penalties,” according to a statement provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
“This news puts a face and a name to this tragedy, but it does not change our determination to proudly – even defiantly – continue Jewish life in Jackson in the face of hatred,” Congregation Beth Israel wrote in a statement.
The suspect’s father informed the police
Neither the brothers nor the firefighters were injured in the fire, which started after three in the morning local time on Saturday. Security camera video released Monday at the synagogue showed a masked and hooded man using a gas can to pour liquid on the floor and sofa in the lobby.
A weekend fire destroyed the 165-year-old synagogue’s library and administrative offices. The five Torahs – holy scrolls containing the text of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible – inside the sanctuary were being checked for smoke damage. Two Torahs inside the library, where the most damage was done, were damaged. The only Torah that survived the Holocaust was behind glass and was not damaged in the fire, according to the church.
The suspect’s father contacted the FBI and said that his son had confessed to burning down the building. Pittman had texted his father a picture of the back of the synagogue before the fire, with the message, “There’s a fireplace in the back.”
The father had pleaded with his son to return home, but “Pittman responded that he would be paid at home and ‘do my research,'” the affidavit said.
During his interview with investigators, Pittman said he had stopped at a gas station on his way to the synagogue to buy gas used in the fire. He said he took the license plate off his car at the gas station and used an ax to break the window of the synagogue.
Yellow police tape on Monday closed the doors to the synagogue building, which was surrounded by broken glass and soot. Bouquets of flowers were placed on the floor of the building’s entrance, including one with a note that read, “I’m so sorry.”
The president of this church, Zach Shemper, vowed to rebuild the synagogue and said that many churches donated their places of worship during the reconstruction. Shemper was present at Pittman’s court hearing Monday but did not comment afterward.
The mid-century modern building not only houses the congregation but also the Jewish organization, a non-profit provider of social services and philanthropy. The building is also home to the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, which provides services to Jewish communities in 13 southern states.
The former synagogue rabbi fought for human rights
Beth Israel as a congregation was founded in 1860 and acquired its original location, where it built Mississippi’s first synagogue, after the Civil War. In 1967, the synagogue moved to its current location.
It was bombed by local KKK members shortly after the move, and two months later, the home of the synagogue’s leader, Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, was bombed because of his outspoken opposition to racism.
Nussbaum was steadfast in his belief that he was doing the right thing by supporting human rights, Zola said.
The Holocaust Memorial is outside the back of the synagogue building.
“Mississippi is united with members of the Beth Israel church,” said Gov. Tate Reeves in a statement released Monday. “This heinous act will never be tolerated, and the perpetrator must face the full weight of his actions.”
The arson was the latest in a series of anti-Semitic incidents in the US, including a shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, last May that left two dead.
“That it has come under attack again, amid an increase in anti-Semitic incidents across the US, is a stark reminder: anti-Semitic violence is on the rise, and it requires total condemnation and immediate action by everyone,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement before the arrest.
