Antisemitic attack in Australia: Melbourne synagogue set on fire

The Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, was torched Friday in a brutal antisemitic attack perpetrated by two masked individuals. The place was severely damaged and one person was injured due to smoke inhalation.

According to witnesses, the perpetrators of the attack on the synagogue, which was established by survivors of the Holocaust, broke a window at around 4:00 a.m., entered the temple, poured gasoline, set the place on fire and fled.

So far no arrests have been made, although the police indicated that they are pursuing a lead.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's reaction

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack. "There is no place in Australia for an outrage such as this," he told reporters in the city of Perth. "To attack a synagogue is an act of antisemitism, is attacking the right that all Australians should have to practice their faith in peace and security," he added.

Netanyahu held the Australian government responsible

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the fire and took aim at the Australian authorities. "Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the outrageous decision to support the U.N. resolution calling on Israel 'to end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, as quickly as possible,' and to prevent the entry into the country of a former Israeli minister," he said, referring to Ayelet Shaked, who was recently denied a visa by Australian authorities, claiming that her presence threatened "social cohesion."

Living in fear

Speaking to Israeli news portal Ynet, Shalom Eisenbach, a member of the burned synagogue's community, expressed that he is "shocked" by the incident. He added that there have been repeated incidents of antisemitism in the city, but that this attack has raised the level of concern.

Eisenbach maintained that since the Oct. 7 massacre, the community had been fearful, and even the authorities deployed security guards at the synagogue, but that afterwards "life went on." However, he indicated that the wave of antisemitism has been revived recently.

Eisenbach said he never thought Jewish hatred would reach these levels. "We are not used to this. We are not involved politically. We have our synagogue and we handle it discreetly. But it eventually caught up with us," he said.

In everyday life, community members do not feel antisemitism directly, although they strive to keep a low profile and at special events hire security personnel.

Eisenbach also indicated that the Jewish community feels that its members can be victims of aggression at any time. He commented that on repeated occasions there were people shouting "Free Palestine" at him, but that he tended not to make a big deal of it.

Eisenbach also commented that Holocaust survivors established the synagogue there because they thought it was a quiet place, but "antisemitism blew up in their faces."