‘Jew-hatred, left unchecked, endangers all Australians’: Jewish leader decries Melbourne synagogue arson

The president of the Zionist Federation of Australia says the “firebombing” of a Melbourne synagogue overnight is “another shocking escalation of the hate that we have seen brazenly displayed on the streets of Melbourne every week for over a year.”

Mask-wearing arsonists set a synagogue ablaze in a predawn attack this morning in the southeast Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea, reportedly destroying the building.

No serious injuries have been reported in the incident.

“Jew-hatred, left unchecked, endangers all Australians. Enough is enough, this is a stain on our nation,” ZFA president Jeremy Leibler says in a statement. “It’s time for all levels of government to turn their words into actions to stamp out this Jew-hatred.”

The attack came as the Australian Jewish community reported a fourfold increase in antisemitic incidents since the devastating Hamas-led attack on Israel last October, which sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Physical attacks on Jews spiked from 11 the previous year to 65.

THIS IS ANITSEMITIC TERRORISM IN AUSTRALIA

Confirmed torching of the large orthodox Jewish Adass synagogue in Melbourne.

This is the flow on from the most hostile Federal government in Australia's history to the Jewish community and the most anti-Israel. Since 9 October 2023,… pic.twitter.com/qF9ICXz5k9

— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) December 5, 2024