Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned an antisemitic attack on a Melbourne synagogue as “reprehensible” and called on the Australian government to take all action to end similar hate crimes. A 34-year-old man from New South Wales has been charged after allegedly pouring flammable liquid on the front door of the East Melbourne Hebrew congregation and setting it alight on Friday night.
Two other potentially linked incidents occurred overnight on Friday, including an arrest after a protest at an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD. Netanyahu posted on X that the attacks, which included calls of 'Death to the IDF', were severe hate crimes that must be uprooted.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also condemned the attack, calling it intolerable that in 2025 there is an attempt to burn Jews alive as they pray. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged the Australian government to do more to fight what he called a 'poisonous disease'.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke described the incident as an attack on Australia and Australian values. He said the Israeli ambassador had thanked him for visiting the synagogue, where he met community leaders and the rabbi. Burke noted that authorities had not yet drawn links between the three incidents but that they were linked to bigotry.
Sarah Schwartz, of the Jewish Council of Australia, condemned the arson and said attacks on synagogues are attacks on the entire Jewish community. She urged politicians not to engage in knee-jerk responses but to support grassroots efforts against racism. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s Alex Ryvchin said the antisemitism crisis was getting worse, warning of a violent ideology at work.
