OCEAN SPRINGS — Efraim O'Sullivan, the first Jewish police chief in Mississippi, hosted a public mezuzah installation ceremony at his Ocean Springs home in the summer of 1979. Ocean Springs Mayor Connor accepted an invitation to attend the ceremony, stating, “Why, we’re all going to make a point to be there when you christen your little home.”
O’Sullivan previously served as a senior officer with the New Orleans Police Department before moving to Ocean Springs, which is situated across a bay from Biloxi overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. He and his wife, Dina, constructed a Creole-style cottage near a bayou on the north side of Ocean Springs. O'Sullivan planned to affix a mezuzah to the doorpost of his new residence.
Editor Wayne Weidie of The Ocean Springs Record, a weekly newspaper that covers local high school sports and community news, contacted O'Sullivan to inquire about the upcoming ceremony. O'Sullivan responded to the query by inviting Weidie to see for himself, saying, “Why don’t you come over yourself to see what it’s all about.” Following this, O'Sullivan opened the ceremony to the general public.
O'Sullivan contacted Rabbi Joseph Lifshitz, who was assigned as a military chaplain to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, to request his participation in the ceremony. O'Sullivan asked for a blessing, stating, “I just can’t nail it up without a prayer or something, can I? I need you to say some kind of prayer. I’m not asking for the Stations of the Cross, for Chrissake, just something.” O'Sullivan then dispatched a patrol vehicle to transport Rabbi Lifshitz to his residence. Patrolman Bill Gautreaux served as the officer escorting the Rabbi.
Patrolman Gautreaux informed Lifshitz about the local support, saying, “The city council canceled their meeting tonight, so all the councilmen will be there, that’s for sure.” Judge R.E. Wilson postponed court proceedings until Thursday to accommodate attendance at the event. Local city aldermen delivered housewarming gifts, including potted plants and spice racks, to the O'Sullivan residence.
Further community involvement included the owner of the Master Grill on Highway 90 providing the O'Sullivan family with a refillable coffee mug. Icabod Bendy, a 76-year-old employee at a local junkyard who identified a personal connection to Hebrew traditions and utilized a Hebrew name, also attended the mezuzah ceremony.