Rabbi's Update 1/16/26

Dear Friends:

There have been two significant antisemitic acts of vandalism against synagogues this past week. Early Shabbat morning, arson caused considerable damage to Beth Israel Congregation’s building in Jackson, Mississippi. The temple’s library and administrative offices were left as charred ruins, two Torah scrolls were destroyed and five more damaged by smoke and water. Beth Israel is the only synagogue in Jackson, the state’s largest city, and was founded in 1860. In 1967 the congregation’s previous building was firebombed by White supremacists because the synagogue’s then rabbi, Perry Nussbaum, was a strong supporter of civil rights. Two months later Rabbi Nussbaum’s home was firebombed and although both he and his wife were home at the time. No one was injured.

If you would like to donate towards rebuilding Beth Israel, you can make a donation here.

On Sunday the site of the Pasadena Jewish Synagogue and Center was vandalized. Just about a year ago, this shul’s building was almost completely destroyed by the Altadena fire and the congregation is in the midst of a multi-year rebuilding program. Its activities are spread out over many different borrowed sites in the meanwhile, with services being held in a church.

It is a human tendency to seek evidence which confirms what we already believe rather than necessarily seeking to get to the truth of a matter. When there is an act of antisemitic violence more politically conservative Jews will often attribute it to “progressive” anti-zionism, while more politically liberal Jewish will attribute it to right-wing Christian nationalism. As it happens, the arsonist who already confessed to the Jackson synagogue burning was a rightwing Christian nationalist who described the temple as a “synagogue of Satan”, a term from the New Testament Book of Revelation. In Pasadena, anti-zionist slogans in large black letters were painted on a white wall, so anti-zionism and Christian nationalism were each a factor in one of the two incidents of synagogue vandalism.

In Pasadena, “RIP Renee” was spray painted in addition to the anti-zionist graffiti. The synagogue’s rabbi, Joshua Ratner (a friend of mine) said that he believed (correctly, in my opinion) that this was a reference to Renee Good, who was killed by ICE in Minneapolis last week. This is the way that antisemitism works: Jews are responsible for all ills of society no matter whether we are dealing with antisemitism of the Left or of the Right. On the Left, Jews are somehow held responsible for the excesses of ICE. But in 2018, the perpetrator of the Tree of Life massacre invaded the shul because of his belief in the “Great Replacement Theory” which holds that Jews are bringing in millions of brown-skinned illegal immigrants so that these new arrivals will “replace” the White majority and cement Democratic control over the country.

If you or someone you know is in need because of having been laid off, or has lost benefits of some type and needs immediate help, please let me know. I can access limited funds through the Jewish Federation almost immediately. For longer-term help, the Hebrew Free Loan Society will loan up to $18,000 interest-free and the Jewish Federation has set up a hotline to access assistance at 703-JCARING.

As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building. 

As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by. 

Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Charles L. Arian