From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Australian political leaders pledge to rebuild firebombed Melbourne synagogue
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
Ahead of Australia’s national elections, both of the country’s largest parties have pledged to rebuild Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, which was severely damaged in December by an antisemitic firebombing attack.
The ruling Labor party pledges AUD $30 million toward the reconstruction, as well as up to AUD $1.2 million for security upgrades. Those sums are in addition to AUD $250,000 given to replace and restore damaged Torah scrolls.
The announcement comes a day after opposition leader Peter Dutton pledged up to AUD $35 million to restore the synagogue if his Liberal party comes into power in the elections, scheduled for May.
The synagogue also raised more than AUD $600,000 in a crowdfunding campaign for its reconstruction shortly after the fire.
