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07-07-2025
MELBOURNE: A Melbourne synagogue has been hit by an arson attack and an Israeli restaurant stormed by a violent group, some wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh, in a night of anti-Semitic attacks that have left Jewish people fearing for their safety.
Police have released an image of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue on Friday night.
The man is described as Caucasian, believed to be in his 30s, with a beard and long hair. He was seen wearing a dark blue or black jumper, black pants and a black beanie.
The arson attack on the synagogue was carried out while about 20 people, including children, were having a Shabbat dinner inside the place of worship.
Also on Friday night, a group of about 20 masked people entered Israeli restaurant Miznon and shouted offensive chants, scuffling with staff and knocking over tables to the alarm of patrons, before police arrived and arrested one man.
Vision from the incident shows diners screaming in fear inside the Hardware Lane restaurant, which is part-owned by an Israeli entrepreneur who has been promoting a controversial aid group in Gaza.
Police said they are not declaring either incident as an act of terrorism.
“We do recognise that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent, but at this stage we are not declaring this a terrorist incident,” Commander Zorka Dunstan said on Saturday.
Police are also investigating a third incident, when a group of offenders set fire to three cars and spray-painted the wall of a business on Para Road, Greensborough, in Melbourne’s north-east, about 4.30am on Saturday. Officers are investigating to determine if the incident is related to the two attacks on Friday night.
Dunstan said the Greensborough business had previously been the site of “pro-Palestinian activity”, but would not confirm whether the incident was linked to an act of antisemitism.
“We haven’t made a full connection, we’re just continuing to investigate,” she said.
“Just to be abundantly clear, we are taking all three incidents incredibly seriously. There’s no place in Australia for hatred or discrimination of any kind, and we condemn it. It is unclear at this stage what was graphitized onto the building’s wall.”
Police officers were providing proactive patrols in the areas around the attacks and supporting the Melbourne’s broader Jewish community.
Premier Jacinta Allan also condemned the synagogue attack as disgraceful and cowardly.
“This is disgraceful behavior by a pack of cowards,” Allan said on Saturday morning, as Jewish Australians woke to news of the attack. “That this happened on Shabbat makes it all the more abhorrent.
“Antisemitism has no place in Victoria and I stand with the Jewish community in their fight against hate, violence and fear.”
Jewish Community Council of Victoria president Phillip Zajac told this masthead that a lone arsonist used fuel to torch the front doors of the East Melbourne Synagogue in Albert Street about 8pm.
Firefighters responded quickly and contained the fire, which caused only superficial damage to the bluestone building and heavy timber doors. The attack was captured on CCTV. Zajac said on Friday night that the perpetrator needed to be identified and prosecuted.
“I don’t know what the government can do but there have to be consequences for people who do things like this,” he said. “Lighting a place of worship (on fire) is just dreadful. (Int’l News Desk)
