In June of 1865 prayer shawls were prohibited to all but the rabbi, president, vice president and those with altar honors. The first Torah and its ornaments were presented to the congregation by Henry Lang and Joseph Hanan in 1863. A silver engraved plate in the form of the Ten Commandments to hang on the Torah and a second Torah were presented to the congregation on Sabbath Chanuke in 1866 by members of the Mendelsohn Literary Association, a social organization established by Rabbi Epstein.
At a special meeting of the Congregation held on April 21, 1865, a committee of three was appointed "to draft resolutions to express our sorrow on the untimely death of the lamented Chief Magistrate, Abraham Lincoln." The last three resolutions read:
1. "Resolved that to the honor of the deceased father of his Country, prayers shall be offered for the term of six weeks in our regular prayer meetings."
2. "Resolved that these resolutions be entered in our Minutes and publicly read during Services for the six successive Sabbaths."
3. "Resolved that these Resolutions shall be printed in the Jackson Daily Citizen, and other city papers, and that a copy be transmitted to the family of the late President, to the Secretary of State, and to his Excellency, Andrew Johnson."
