The trial for the man accused of setting Mississippi’s oldest synagogue ablaze has once again been delayed.
U.S. Judge Henry Wingate ruled Wednesday to continue the trial of Stephen Spencer Pittman, the 19-year-old accused of setting fire to Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson on Jan. 10. Pittman was set to appear in court on Aug. 3, but his legal counsel argued that it needed additional time to review case material. The state did not oppose the defendant’s request.
Wingate said the trial will occur during the federal court’s October term, but did not provide a specific date.
“The Court finds after considering the factors set out to determine the appropriateness of a continuance, that a continuance is appropriate and that the ends of justice outweigh the best interests of the public and the Defendant in a speedy trial and are best served by granting the requested continuance,” Wingate wrote.
“The Court also finds the Defendant has specifically waived any speedy trial objections arising or which may arise as a result of this requested continuance under the Speedy Trial Act or the Constitution,” the judge continued.
The U.S. Department of Justice initially charged Pittman with arson, later elevating the charge to include a civil rights offense. Pittman also faces an additional charge of first-degree arson with a hate crime enhancement on the state level. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted on the federal level, he could face up to 60 years in prison.
A graduate of St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison before going on to play baseball at Coahoma Community College, Pittman confessed to breaking into Beth Israel, dousing areas of the synagogue with gasoline, and setting fire to the place of worship, the FBI said. The crime was captured on video.
The defendant’s father turned him in shortly after the fire. According to investigators, his father is the one who gave them a picture showing his son had texted him from the crime scene. He told agents that his son confessed to setting the building on fire.
While no congregants of Beth Israel were injured during the blaze, the emotional toll has been a combination of discouragement and encouragement, according to synagogue officials. Congregation President Zach Shemper has vowed to rebuild the synagogue with rehabilitation plans recently revealed. Several area churches have been opening their doors to Beth Israel in the meantime.
Beth Israel Congregation was established in Jackson in 1860 and is the city’s lone synagogue. The place of worship also hosts the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. The center provides Jewish religious school programs and rabbinical services to more than 70 congregations across Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
No stranger to attacks and threats, Beth Israel was the site of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967 due to its role in the civil rights movement. In December 2023, Beth Israel was one of hundreds of synagogues across the U.S. to be subjected to bomb threats, elevating concerns of growing antisemitism across the nation.
