Jackson synagogue congregant shares story of 1967 Ku Klux Klan bombing

Описание: (13 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:


ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dallas, Texas - 13 January 2026
1. Beverly Geiger Bonnheim, Beth Israel Congregation member, types on computer
2. Close up on image of burnt Beth Israel Congregation library
3. Beverly Geiger Bonnheim, Beth Israel Congregation member, sits in front of her computer
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Beverly Geiger Bonnheim, Beth Israel Congregation member:
"I was 17. It was 1967. The congregation had just moved into this beautiful new building."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jackson, Mississippi - 13 January 2026
5. Beth Israel sign
6. Historical marker reads "bombings in Jewish community"

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dallas, Texas - 13 January 2026
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Beverly Geiger Bonnheim, Beth Israel Congregation member:
"And then horrifically, in September, it was bombed, and it was by the Klan, and eerily in the exact same location that this bombing this week occurred."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jackson, Mississippi - 13 January 2026
8. Scorched Beth Israel Congregation building
9. Fire debris

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dallas, Texas - 13 January 2026
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Beverly Geiger Bonnheim, Beth Israel Congregation member:
"It was horrifying and disbelieving to see it again. It's like, does history change?"

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jackson, Mississippi - 13 January 2026
11. Closed off synagogue entrance

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dallas, Texas - 13 January 2026
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Beverly Geiger Bonnheim, Beth Israel Congregation member:
"There's a Hebrew saying, 'l'dor v'dor,' from generation to generation. And so the 1967 and dealing with the Klan, that was my generation's and my parent's generation's dealing with bigotry and hatred. Unfortunately, now it's this generation's time to have to deal with with those very issues."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jackson, Mississippi - 13 January 2026
14. Burnt wood in front of synagogue
15. Two flags stand in front of closed synagogue entrance
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Zach Shemper, Beth Israel Congregation president:
"They rebuilt and continued services, continued practicing their Judaism, and we're still here, and we're not going anywhere."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jackson, Mississippi - 12 January 2026
17. Happy Hanukkah sign inside synagogue

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jackson, Mississippi - 13 January 2026
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Thomas, Beth Israel Congregation member and first vice president:
"No, we are not afraid. Jackson is our home and will continue to be our home. We will continue to be Jewish, and we will continue to do so in a proud way. We have so much support from our community both Jewish and not Jewish, and we belong here."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jackson, Mississippi - 12 January 2026
17. Note attached to flowers in front of synagogue reads "I am so very sorry"

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jackson, Mississippi - 13 January 2026
18. Charred exterior of Beth Israel Congregation library

STORYLINE:
Beverly Geiger Bonnheim was 17 years old when the Ku Klux Klan bombed her synagogue. This weekend, at 75, she watched it burn again.

"It was horrifying and disbelieving to see it again," Geiger Bonnheim said. "Does history change?"

The historic Beth Israel Congregation, the only synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi, was set ablaze shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday.

Security camera video released Monday by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded man using a gas can to pour liquid on the floor and a couch in the building’s lobby.



Geiger Bonnheim, who now lives in Dallas, Texas, remains an active member of the congregation.



Zach Shemper, the congregation's president, has vowed to rebuild.


Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...