SACRAMENTO, California — Twenty years ago, the B'Nai Israel President woke up to a phone call at 3 a.m. A fire had broken out in the synagogue. As he and the firefighters assessed the damage, he noticed the windows to the side entrance were broken.
"I got hit by a blast of black smoke," said Louis Anapolsky, who was president of B'Nai Israel in 1999. "I started to go into the sanctuary to where the ark is to make sure the Torahs were OK."
Twenty years ago today, two white supremacist brothers, Benjamin Matthew and James Tyler Williams, set fire to three Sacramento Synagogues; B'Nai Israel, Beth Shalom and Kenesset Israel all in the same night.
Anapolsky believes the arsonists started the fire in the synagogue's library and then worked their way out to the other facilities. The library was almost completely destroyed.
Anapolsky locked the Torahs inside his car. He said while most of the synagogue had to be rebuilt, the Torahs that were saved on June 18, 1999 are the same Torahs used in 2019.
The Williams brothers later set fire to both Congregation Beth Shalom and Knesset Israel Torah Center within 30 minutes of the fire at B'Nai Israel.
Jana Uslan, who was the incoming president of Beth Shalom, said the brothers broke into the synagogue through a window in the foyer. The brothers pulled down the Israel and American flag and used them to start the fire, Uslan said.
Uslan said Beth Shalom was the only synagogue targeted that had a sprinkler system. Coupled with the sprinkler system and firefighters combating the flames, items like the carpet and chairs had to all be replaced due to water damage.
Beth Shalom's Torahs, on the other hand, was safe from damage inside of the Ark, behind glass doors.
"These guys had no idea that the Torahs would have affected us more directly," Uslan said.
The fires caused nearly $3 million in damage, according to the Sacramento Bee. No one died in the fires, but the brothers murdered Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder.
Benjamin shot and killed both Matson and Mowder while they were in their bed.
Matson was a horticulturalist who helped establish an arboretum and natural science museum in Redding and founded the local weekly farmers market. Mowder worked in the plant department at the local hardware store.
Benjamin knew of the couple from the farmers market where he maintained a sales booth. The couple was targeted because they were gay.
James pleaded guilty to murdering Matson and Mowder. He is still serving the remainder of his sentence at Mule Creek State Prison and is eligible for parole in April 2025, according to the records of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Benjamin killed himself in his prison cell in 2002.