‘This Is What Happens When Supporters of Israel Cave into Mob.’ Israelis React to Melbourne Synagogue Arson
Jerusalem, 6 December, 2024 (TPS-IL) -- Israeli leaders have strongly condemned the arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, highlighting the growing global wave of antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas attacks.
“This is what happens when a usually steadfast supporter of Israel caves into the mob. The Victoria Police must pursue this to the fullest extent of the law. To the magnificent Jewish community in Melbourne, your brothers and sisters in Israel are with you, always,” Sharren Haskel, a member of Israel’s Knesset for the National Unity Party, who lived in Australia for several years, said in a post on X.
The arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne occurred on the night of December 3, 2024. The attack involved setting fire to the building, causing significant damage to the synagogue’s structure. Initial reports indicate that the fire had affected both the exterior and interior of the synagogue.
Local law enforcement, including Victoria Police, is investigating the incident as an act of arson. Australia’s Interior minister condemned the violence and called it “antisemitic attack.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also expressed his outrage, sharing that he had spoken with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. He noted, “I expressed my firm condemnation of the horrific arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Australia. The rise in antisemitism requires firm and strong action, and this message must be clearly heard from Australia’s leaders.”
Israeli Minister of Justice, Gideon Saar, voiced his dismay, urging swift action from Australian authorities. “I am appalled by the abhorrent arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. Antisemitism must be relentlessly confronted.”
According to a report on international antisemitism, jointly released in May by Tel Aviv University and the US-based Anti-Defamation League, Australia, just like other countries with significant Jewish populations, saw a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents since October 7. Australia recorded 622 antisemitic incidents in October and November 2023, in comparison to 79 during the same period in 2022.
