Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg urged Anthony Albanese to declare the attack on a synagogue an act of terror during a fiery speech.
The Adass Israel synagogue, in Ripponlea, in Glen Eira, south-east of Melbourne, was set on fire at around 4am on Friday as worshipers gathered to pray.
Two people suffered injuries following the attack, which Victoria Police believe was a “targeted incident”.
Frydenberg on Saturday criticized the Prime Minister for what he saw as a lack of leadership following incidents of anti-Semitism in Australia.
‘Prime Minister, how did you let it come to this?’ said.
“Where the Australian Jewish community lives in fear…where anti-Semitism has become normalized.”
Frydenberg listed several demands that urged Albanese to act, the first being to declare the early morning bombing an act of terror.
“(The Prime Minister) and his government must declare yesterday’s attack on the Adass Israel synagogue a terrorist event,” Mr Frydenberg said.
Frydenberg (pictured) held a press conference on Saturday and criticized the Prime Minister for what he saw as a lack of leadership in tackling incidents of antisemitism.
Photos from the scene showed the Synagogue well alight (pictured) as firefighters struggled to put out the flames as they razed the building.
“There was a bombing in a place of worship with people inside, who were injured and the legislation is very clear.”
Frydenberg, who was a former member of the Kooyong seat, also demanded Albanese implement a national police taskforce to curb antisemitism and launch a judicial inquiry into Australian educational institutions.
‘Please Prime Minister, see what is happening and act. “You and your ministers must step forward, not retreat from the challenges we face,” he said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Prime Minister’s office for further comment.
Albanese described the incident on Friday as a “deliberate and unlawful attack.”
He said any attack on a place of worship went against the values Australians stand for during a speech in Western Australia later that day.
“Attacking a synagogue is an act of anti-Semitism, it is attacking the right that all Australians should have to practice their faith in peace and security,” he said.
The incident prompted a sharp rebuke from Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, who said he had expressed his concerns and discussed the matter with Albanese.
The former treasurer urged Albanese to declare Friday’s attack an act of terrorism.
Albanese described the incident as a “deliberate and unlawful attack” in a statement issued Friday (pictured, flowers placed near the synagogue on Saturday).
Anti-Defamation Commission Chairman Dr. Dvir Abramovich called the attack a “national emergency” and urged the government to demonstrate more proactive leadership in protecting the safety of communities.
‘This was not just an attack on bricks and mortar; “It was a blow to the heart of Australian decency and morality,” Dr Abramovich told Daily Mail Australia.
“We are staring into the abyss of unbridled hate, and yet our leaders continue to offer the same old platitudes.”
Worshipers were forced to flee the building on Friday when 60 firefighters and 17 trucks arrived to fight the fire.
Photos from the scene showed the synagogue in flames as firefighters struggled to put out flames ravaging the building.
Several windows were broken and several parts of the exterior were damaged by the fire, which destroyed two of the synagogue’s three buildings.
Worshipers who were inside the building at the time said flammable liquids had been thrown, said Benjamin Klein, a synagogue board member.
‘There were knocks on the door, and the window came out and some liquids caught fire. “Everything took off pretty quickly and caught fire,” he said.
“For this to happen to a synagogue thousands of miles away from anywhere else in the world, to a peaceful neighborhood, to a peaceful community, is pretty horrendous.”
Floral tributes were laid outside the synagogue on Saturday after the building was blocked by large steel fences.