Australia hit by antisemitic attacks July 4, including synagogue arson attack

A series of antisemitic attacks in Australia, including an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne and a violent raid on an Israeli-owned restaurant, has Jews in the Australian city living in fear and demanding officials take action. 

The first attack occurred when assailants started a fire outside the exterior doors of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. Around 20 worshipers were eating Shabbat dinner inside, according to SBS News. The police have not yet categorized the incident a terror attack.

Avi Yemini, chief reporter for Rebel News Online in Australia, said the fire brigade’s rapid response kept “yet another synagogue in this city from being destroyed in a terror attack, like the firebombing of the Adas Israel Synagogue last year, which remains unsolved.”

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Later that same evening, some 20 masked extremists terrorized diners at Israeli-owned restaurant Miznon. According to The Jerusalem Post, protesters chanted “death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces)” and threw chairs and glassware at the restaurant.

Yemeni told Fox News Digital protesters were “causing absolute mayhem” and escalated “to violence against patrons and the destruction of property, ultimately sending terrified diners running for safety.” 

One protester was arrested by Victoria Police but was released and issued a summons.

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SBS News also reported that Victoria Police are investigating a third incident, in which offenders set fire to three vehicles, destroying one, and spray-painted a nearby wall. A police commander declined to say whether the painting’s content was antisemitic but described all three incidents as containing “inferences of antisemitism.” 

Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), issued a statement on X and urged that “all sides of politics and all Australians to condemn these deplorable crimes.” 

“Those who chant for death are not peace activists. Those who would burn houses of prayer with families inside do not seek an end to war,” Ryvchin said. 

Noting the “violent ideology at work in our country that operates on the fringes of politics and social movements,” Ryvchin said “those responsible cannot be reasoned with or appeased. They must be confronted with the full force of the law.”

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Yemini said Friday’s attacks demonstrate how “emboldened” protesters have become. 

“Since October 7, Victoria Police — under the direction of the government — have allowed anti-Israel protesters to effectively hold Melbourne hostage,” he said. 

Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli minister of foreign affairs, also strongly condemned the attacks, saying there “have been too many antisemitic attacks in Australia,” and he called on the Australian government to “do more to fight this poisonous disease.”

Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, the ECAJ counted 2,062 antisemitic incidents in Australia.