5 arrested for allegedly filming a music video in historic Indianapolis synagogue
Beth-El Zedeck was dedicated a century ago
The historic Beth-El Zedeck Temple in Indianapolis. (Wikimedia Commons)
(JTA) — Five people were arrested in Indianapolis for allegedly breaking into the city’s oldest synagogue building to film a music video.
The group was found with video equipment at Beth-El Zedeck Temple after police responded to calls reporting a burglary on Saturday evening, according to the local NBC affiliate, WTHR.
Upon arrival, police saw several people in the driveway of the historic site and four people inside, according to WTHR.
One of the suspects, D’Shawn Parrish, was arrested after being chased by police.
The other arrests were of Anthony Bellamy, Jaylen Young, Aniah Weaver and a fourth person who was not named. Young was hired to record a “rap music video,” according to court documents obtained by WTHR.
The site of the group’s musical aspirations, Beth-El Zedeck Temple, is a cornerstone of Indianapolis’ Jewish history.
The building was dedicated in 1925 and served as the home of the eponymous congregation, which was originally Conservative. For a time, the author and philosopher Milton Steinberg served as its rabbi.
When the building first opened, Indiana Gov. Edward Jackson was in attendance, said Mark Dollase, a vice president of the Indiana Landmarks Foundation, which was notable given the politics of the time.
“This was during the year of the Ku Klux Klan, and they had a great deal of political power in the state,” Dollase told the local Fox affiliate. “And certainly a governor speaking before a Jewish audience would have been significant.”
Another congregation later used the building until 1968, after which it was used by several Christian groups. It became vacant in the 2000s, according to Indiana Landmarks, which obtained the building in 2014.
Today, Congregation Beth-El Zedeck remains active and is located in another neighborhood of the city. It is affiliated with both the Conservative and Reconstructionist movements.
In its application for the National Register of Historic Places, the synagogue was described as “one of the most well preserved places associated with the history of the Jewish community in Indianapolis,” and is cited as an example of “the architectural heritage of the Jewish community.”
It’s still looking for a new tenant. The building is currently listed at $299,000 on the Indiana Landmarks website.
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