‘Abhorrent antisemitism’: 2 wounded as arsonists target historic Melbourne synagogue

A synagogue in Melbourne, Australia suffered serious damage after two arsonists set the historic building on fire Friday morning, lightly wounding two people, according to The Jerusalem Post.

According to witnesses, two masked suspects were seen spreading a fire accelerant throughout the Adass Israel Synagogue early on Friday morning, stated Victoria Police Detective Inspector Chris Murray.

The fire “engulfed” the building, Murray said. “We believe it was deliberate. We believe it has been targeted. What we don’t know is why.”

Approximately 60 firefighters and 17 fire trucks were called up to combat the flames, and the site was later closed off and declared a crime scene.

“This is an outrage. The violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is something that we should never see in Australia,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“I think an attack on a synagogue is an act of antisemitism by definition,” he said, adding that it “has absolutely no place in Australia.”

The police are working with counter-terrorism experts to locate suspects, increasing their presence around synagogues and Jewish institutions, local news reported.

“The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated shortly before the start of the Jewish Sabbath.

“I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future.”

In his statement, Netanyahu also noted that “Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism.”

“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel ‘to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible,’ and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country.”

Former Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked was refused a visa for a speaking tour, with Immigration Minister Tony Burke saying her visit could “seriously undermine social cohesion.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he spoke with Albanese and firmly condemned “the horrific arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue.

“Following the atrocities carried out by Hamas against Israel on and since October 7, 2023, there has been an intolerable wave of attacks on Jewish communities in Australia and around the world. I noted to the Prime Minister that this rise and the increasingly serious antisemitic attacks on the Jewish community required firm and strong action, and that this was a message that must be heard clearly from Australia’s leaders.”

Herzog thanked Albanese for his efforts to combat antisemitism and said he trusted “local law enforcement would do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

The Israeli president also said he called the president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, and “expressed my deep sorrow and the support and solidarity of all the Israeli people for the Jewish community following the abhorrent antisemitic arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne.”

“I was moved to hear how the entire community is standing united and strong in the face of this terrible attack and the wave of antisemitism they are experiencing,” the president said, calling on leaders in Australia and around the world “to strongly condemn this vile act of terror and to combat the intolerable rise of anti-Jewish racism worldwide.”