When I learned of the arson which took place at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi over the weekend I figured the suspect would either be a neo-Nazi white supremacist or pro-Hamas.
It is worth remembering the residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was targeted during Passover by a pro-Hamas agitator. But given that this incident was nearer to Philadelphia, Mississippi than Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I figured it would more likely be the former.
Well, a 19-year-old "man" named Stephen Spencer Pittman confessed to setting the synagogue ablaze because of its "Jewish ties" and described Beth Israel Congregation as "the synagogue of Satan". The term has been uttered by the likes of Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens, former UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell and Stew Peters. There's a very good chance Pittman heard one the phrase from one and possibly more of these individuals and decided to put his hate into action.
The only silver lining in this incident is that no one member of the congregation was injured or killed. Then again, the same was true when Beth Israel Congregation was bombed by Ku Klux Klan members because of their support for civil rights nearly 60 years ago. The oldest hatred never dies.
What concerns me is that Pittman is not being charged with any kind of hate crime nor is the FBI planning to discuss the matter any further. Trump's FBI isn't interested in prosecuting hate crimes much less acknowledging them nor do they want to alienate the Tucker Carlson wing of the Republican Party. They are not serious about combatting anti-Semitism of the right-wing variety.
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