Melbourne’s Oldest Shul Targeted by Arson on Shabbos
A frightening incident unfolded in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday night when a man set fire to the front door of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, one of the city’s oldest shuls, while approximately 20 mispallelim were inside eating their Shabbos seudah • Full Story
The Yeshivah World
A frightening incident unfolded in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday night when a man set fire to the front door of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, one of the city’s oldest shuls, while approximately 20 mispallelim were inside eating their Shabbos seudah.
B’chasdei Hashem, those inside were able to evacuate through the back of the building unharmed, and firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze before it could spread beyond the entrance.
Australian police announced on Sunday morning (local time) that they had arrested a 34-year-old suspect, who was charged with multiple serious offenses, including reckless conduct endangering life. Authorities said they are continuing to investigate the man’s motives and whether the crime should be classified as a terrorist attack.
Police are also investigating whether this arson attack is connected to two other deeply troubling antisemitic incidents that took place the same evening in Melbourne.
In one of those incidents, a group of approximately 20 anti-Israel rioters stormed Miznon, an Israeli-owned restaurant, overturning tables and smashing windows while shouting “Death to the IDF.” The group had gathered following a pro-Hamas demonstration nearby. Reports indicated the restaurant may have been singled out not only because of its Israeli ownership but also because its proprietor, Shahar Segal, is a spokesperson for the “Humanitarian Fund for Gaza,” an Israeli-American supported aid initiative.
Elsewhere in Melbourne, additional vehicles were set on fire and vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, raising even more concerns about a coordinated wave of anti-Jewish hatred. Police have so far not established a direct link among all three incidents.
Sasha Roytman, CEO of the Movement to Combat Antisemitism, described the attempted shul arson as “an attempted murder in every sense of the word” that miraculously ended without loss of life. He urged that the incident be treated as a terrorist attack.
“This is another escalation in the unprecedented wave of antisemitic events taking place in Australia,” Roytman said. “Since October 7, there has been a rise of hundreds of percent in the number of antisemitic and hate crimes. The Jewish community has lost its sense of personal security and fears the situation will escalate further.”
Roytman noted that a special emergency conference will soon be convened in Australia to give local leaders the tools to combat antisemitism at both the national and local level.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sharply condemned the incidents: “I view with great severity the antisemitic attacks that occurred last night in Melbourne, which included an attempted arson of a shul and a violent attack on an Israeli restaurant by pro-Palestinian rioters,” he said. “These despicable acts, shouting ‘Death to the IDF’ while trying to harm a place of worship, are severe hate crimes that must be uprooted. The State of Israel will continue to stand with the Jewish community in Australia, and we demand that the Australian government act in every way to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent such attacks in the future.”
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