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In the early morning hours of June 18, 1999, arsonists attacked three Sacramento area synagogues.
Congregation B'nai Israel, Kenesset Israel Torah Center, and Congregation Beth Shalom were
set ablaze within a 45-minute period.
The fires destroyed thousands of books and historic Holocaust documents, and investigators
found anti-Semitic fliers within the wreckage of two of the three synagogues. The attacks
not only shook the foundation of Sacramento's Jewish community, but also shocked and
horrified people of all faiths and backgrounds. Almost as quickly as the fires
were started, the community of Sacramento mobilized to take a stand against anti-Semitic
hate crimes.
B'nai Israel, with nearly $1 million in damage, suffered the most serious blow. News
footage shows the impact of the fire on the synagogue's congregation, determined
more than ever to rebuild. Read more and watch a video clip.
Learn More>>
In the wake of his synagogue's destruction, Rabbi Brad Bloom felt even more connected
to his fellow Americans. Read more and watch a video about the support B'nai Israel received.
Learn More>>
The arsons conjured up painful memories for then Vice Mayor Jimmie Yee-his home had
been firebombed by a white supremacist six years earlier. This time, he was determined
to take a public stand against hate violence. Read more and watch a video of
Jimmie Yee's story.
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Just days after the arsons, 5,000 people packed a local theater in an outpouring
of support for Sacramento's Jewish community. Read more and watch a video of
Sacramento's Community Solidarity Gathering.
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Find out what happened to the people charged with the synagogue arsons.
The firebomb seared B'nai Israel's Sosnick Library, destroying thousands of historic,
irreplaceable volumes. The next day, synagogue members gathered to mourn their loss.
They also vowed, along with Rabbi Brad Bloom, to rebuild their congregation and
counter hate with a strong message of hope.
Two days after the arsons, Rabbi Bloom shared a visionary plan to build a museum of
tolerance in Sacramento. The museum would be a center for research and learning,
and help prevent future acts of hate by bridging the gaps of communication and
understanding between people of different backgrounds.
California Governor Gray Davis promised financial support for the tolerance museum,
now called the Capital Unity Center, which is currently in the planning and
development stage. As for B'nai Israel, the Congregation dedicated its new
library-the largest Jewish library in Northern California-in December of 2001.
[Watch the Video 56k | 220k]
As Rabbi Brad Bloom stood among B'nai Israel's charred remains, he spoke about
the unity and strength that emerged from the wreckage. "We are America's
congregation," he said, describing the contributions and letters of support
he received after the arsons. Watch a video clip about Rabbi Bloom's reaction
to his community's support.
[Watch the Video 56k | 220k]
Read About Sacramento's legacy of hate crimes >>
Sacramento Vice Mayor Jimmie Yee was driving through his neighborhood early one
June morning when he noticed activity at the B'nai Israel synagogue a few blocks
from his home.
Firefighters were battling a fire that had begun there in the dark hours of the night,
and they informed Yee it was a suspected arson. Visibly shaken, Yee's eyes filled
with tears as he recalled another arson.
Six years earlier, a white supremacist threw a gasoline-filled bottle through a
bedroom window in his home. Although no one was hurt and damage to Yee's home was
minor, the attack terrified Yee-he felt he and his family were no longer safe.
The day after the B'nai Israel firebombing, Yee and several other members of the
Asian community who had been targeted in the earlier incidents gathered to remember
their own sense of hopelessness and loss. But they also pledged to take concrete
steps to rebuild the damaged synagogues, vowing to take a stand against hate directed
at any segment in their community.
[Watch the Video 56k | 220k]
Has something like this every happened to you or your community?
Just two days after firebombs torched three Sacramento synagogues, the community
held a rally to send a message of unity and strength.
Dozens of public officials and community leaders turned out to pledge their support,
donating thousands of dollars toward rebuilding the damaged synagogues.
Organizers handed out a poster with the slogan "Sacramento Together United We Stand"
and Chai, the Hebrew character for life. In a gesture reminiscent of the people in
Billings, Montana, who displayed menorahs in their windows to show support for
local Jews during a rash of anti-Semitic hate crimes, the local newspaper published
the poster and encouraged people to display it in their windows.
The next night, 5,000 people participated in a Community Solidarity Gathering
to raise additional funds for the synagogues. More than 300 clerics of diverse
religious backgrounds, political and government leaders, and law enforcement
officials shared a stage to demonstrate their unity in combating all hate crimes.
By that afternoon $25,000 had been paid to a "Community Unity Fund" established
by the Jewish Federation of the Greater Sacramento Region, and the state Assembly
unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the arsons and calling for help to
rebuild the synagogues.
[Watch the Video 56k | 220k]
Find out how you can organize your community to participate in a tolerance rally.
In September 2001, Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams, two brothers with ties
to white supremacist groups,  plead guilty to the 1999 Sacramento synagogue arsons. Benjamin
Williams was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, while his brother was sentenced to 21
years and three months.
Evidence eventually also linked the Williams brothers with the murder
of two gay men in Redding. While in prison awaiting trial for this crime, Benjamin Matthew
Williams committed suicide. In March 2003, James Tyler Williams was sentenced to at least 33
years in state prison for the 1999 double homicide. He will begin serving the murder sentence
after his 21-year federal arson sentence is completed. Williams will be eligible for his
first parole hearing in 2053, sometime around his 82nd birthday.
Five years after the arson attacks and the murder of gay couple Gary Matson and Winfield
Mowder, Congregation B'nai Israel dedicated a June 2004 Shabbat service to the memory of
Matson and Mowder. Synagogue members, at least ten family members of the Redding gay couple,
elected officials and members of the police and FBI attended the emotional healing ceremony.
"We're reaching out to this family," Rabbi Brad Bloom said at the service. "We're really
doing what God wanted us to do as a holy community. I'm very proud to be a Jew and to be a
rabbi in this congregation today."
Read more about the five year anniversary events.
(at www.jewishsf.com)
The Sacramento region has long troubled by hate crimes. White supremacist
groups like the National Alliance and the World Church of the Creator have
active chapters in Sacramento, and a report by People For the American Way
on anti-gay and anti-lesbian violence revealed higher rate of attacks there
than the statewide average.
The rash of hate crimes in 1993 finally ended in the arrest of 18 year-old
white supremacist Richard Campos. Campos was found guilty of firebombing
Jimmie Yee's home, as well as firebombing the offices of the Japanese American
Citizen's League, the NAACP, and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
He was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
A year before the synagogue fires, an arsonist attacked Sacramento's only
Jewish day school, and in 1999, a Baptist church set was ablaze.
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