25-06-2025
Dynamite outside a synagogue: civil rights stories imperiled by federal cuts
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — He came to historic Temple Beth-El to tell his story, which is also the congregation's story: How, during the early turbulence of the Civil Rights era, he helped to foil what would have been a devastating attack on their synagogue.
Back in 1958, James Pruitt was an 18-year-old working as a janitor. He'd graduated from a segregated high school that soon would become the scene of marches and protests, in a city already nicknamed 'Bombingham' because of white supremacist attacks.
