A man attempted to set fire to a centuries-old historic synagogue in East Melbourne on Friday, Australian authorities have confirmed. The incident occurred just shortly before an Israeli restaurant in the city was also attacked.
At the time of the arson attack, 20 people were inside the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue but did not suffer injuries as a result of the incident, according to Victoria Police. Firefighters attended the scene within minutes and extinguished the blaze on the synagogue’s front door, the Victoria Fire Department said.
A man is understood to have poured flammable liquid on the front door at around 8 p.m. local time.
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella group for Australia’s Jews, said in a statement the fire was set as those inside sat down to Shabbat dinner.
Protesters attack an Israeli-owned restaurant
The arson attack followed heightened tensions and protests earlier across the city over the perceived excessive security at protests, The New York Times reported.
Some 20 protesters were recorded yelling “Death to the IDF” at Israeli chef Eyal Shani’s Miznon restaurant. A recording shared by the Daily Mail Australia showed that chairs, food, and glassware were thrown at the venue.
“They came in with their drums and their mic and stuff saying ‘Miznon is not welcome here,’” a diner told the Herald Sun. “Then they started getting aggressive, throwing tomatoes, chairs, and glasses. They caused lots of damage to the businesses down here.”
One protester from the attack on the restaurant was reportedly arrested and received a summons.
“Several other protesters were spoken to by police and had their identities clarified for the purpose of follow-up investigation,” a police spokeswoman told DMA. “Victoria Police continued to support the rights of Victorians to protest peacefully, but will not tolerate the kind of anti-social and violent behavior that was witnessed this evening.”
Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, shared in response to the incidents that he believed that it was part of a wider assault.
“On Friday night, someone tried to burn Jews alive in their house of worship. On Friday night, a mob hunted them down in the streets. This was terrorism. A synagogue, one of the oldest in the country, was deliberately set on fire while Jewish families were eating together. Had the flames reached further, we would be counting bodies, not blessings,” he said.
“Minutes later, a gang of masked rioters stormed an Israeli restaurant,” Abramovich said. “They came armed with hatred and chairs, chanting ‘Death to the IDF’ as they smashed windows and terrorized diners. Children screamed. Glass shattered. Melbourne, for one night, stopped being a safe place for Jews.”
"This was a campaign, not a coincidence, or a one-off,” the ADC head said. “A targeted, synchronized assault against Jews for being Jews. The fists, the chants, the violence were unleashed without restraint.
“To every leader in this nation: If you don’t know what to say, say this: ‘This is barbaric. And it will not be tolerated.’ There is a sickness spreading in our streets. It wears masks. It carries drums. It chants for death. And on Friday night, it lit a match.
“We are not asking for sympathy: We want action; we want justice; we want protection,” Abramovich said. “Not next week. Not after the next attack – now. And to those who set the fire, who threw the chairs, who cheered from the sidelines, know this: You have not weakened us: You have awakened us. And we will not be silent as the flames climb higher.”
Australian authorities on Saturday condemned the arson attack on the Melbourne synagogue with worshipers in the building.
One of several recent antisemitic incidents in Australia, it comes seven months after another synagogue in Melbourne was targeted by arsonists, who set a blaze that injured one and caused widespread damage.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan on Saturday said it was “absolutely appalling” that a second Jewish synagogue had been attacked.
“Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate, and any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism,” Allan said in a statement.
Police said they believed the attack was carried out by a male suspect. He has not been identified but is thought to be white and in his 30s.
There is “no place in our society for antisemitic or hate-based behavior,” police said.