The President of Israel has told the Prime Minister of Australia that “firm and strong” action is required after a Victorian synagogue was firebombed early on Friday.
President Isaac Herzog said he spoke to Anthony Albanese on Friday night and strongly condemned the “horrific” attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne.
Police are still hunting the two masked arsonists who allegedly broke in, poured accelerant and set fire to the synagogue around 4 a.m. as worshipers gathered to pray. The fire destroyed two of its three buildings and left two people with minor injuries.
Albanese said the Joint Counter-Terrorism Task Force was investigating the fire, which came after Australia broke away from the United States in a recent UN vote to demand an end to Israel’s “illegal presence in the Palestinian territory.” busy as quickly as possible.”
President Herzog said these types of attacks were “intolerable.”
“I have now spoken to the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and expressed my strong condemnation of the horrendous arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue,” he wrote in X.
‘Following the atrocities carried out by Hamas against Israel on 7 October 2023 and since then, there has been an intolerable wave of attacks against Jewish communities in Australia and around the world.
“I pointed out to the Prime Minister that this rise and increasingly serious anti-Semitic attacks on the Jewish community required firm and strong action, and that this was a message Australia’s leaders needed to hear clearly.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he spoke with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday, where he condemned the arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne.
Two masked men who are still at large allegedly set fire to the building around 4 a.m. Friday as worshipers gathered to pray.
President Herzog said these types of attacks have no place in society and said he is confident Victorian authorities will find those responsible.
President Herzog also thanked Mr. Albanese and said he trusted local authorities to find those responsible for the attack.
“I thanked (Mr. Albanese) for his continued efforts to combat anti-Semitism and expressed confidence that local authorities would do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice,” President Herzog wrote.
Other political and religious leaders have also joined in the unanimous condemnation of the synagogue, which was one of the largest in Melbourne and had been built by Holocaust survivors, while security is tightened around Jewish communities.
The Jewish community has lived in fear for the past 14 months, Australian Jewry Executive Council president Daniel Aghion said.
“This for us is just proof of that fear,” he said.
“This is a tragic day for the Australian Jewish community.”
Victorian senator James Paterson said police and government needed to beef up security to reassure worshipers.
“Tonight there will be other synagogues and synagogues in the area contemplating Friday night prayers and wondering if it is safe to do so,” he said.
The fire destroyed two of its three buildings and left two people with minor injuries.
The Adass Israel Synagogue is one of the largest in Melbourne and was originally built by Holocaust survivors.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed police patrols would be increased from Friday until next week and pledged $100,000 to rebuild the synagogue.
“This is a place of worship that was built by Holocaust survivors who fled the most evil regime in Europe and chose Melbourne as their home,” he told reporters on Friday afternoon.
“An attack on a place of worship is an attack on all religions.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed the Prime Minister’s sentiment, saying that “attacking a synagogue is an act of anti-Semitism.”
He confirmed he had spoken to the head of the Australian Federal Police to ensure all requested resources were available for the Victoria Police investigation.
Albanese said in an earlier statement that he has “zero tolerance for antisemitism” in Australia and that the AFP and the Commonwealth would provide assistance in the Victorian investigation.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said the “outrageous” attack served as a chilling reminder that anti-Semitism was not a relic of the past.
“Never again” has become an empty promise, as the very evils it sought to prevent are happening once again,” he said.
Albanese had previously condemned the attack in a statement of his own that same morning.
Religious organisations, including the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, denounced the “disturbing” incident and shared their condolences with the Jewish community.
“There is absolutely no justification for such acts of aggression against any community, regardless of the circumstances,” said President Rateb Jneid.
Human rights commissioners condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms.”
“We are deeply concerned that this destructive and violent act will cause fear and intimidation and exacerbate the trauma of the Jewish community,” said Racial Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman.
Officers were told two men were inside the synagogue, where masked assailants poured liquid on the floor.
Police believe the attack was targeted and have renewed an appeal for information.
Detective Inspector Chris Murray said police were not ruling out terrorism as a motive as they search for the suspected arsonists.
“We are putting all our effort into this,” he told reporters outside the synagogue on Friday.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen promised to increase police patrols from Friday until next week and pledged $100,000 to rebuild the synagogue.
Yumi’s dips founder Yumi Friedman was inside and described a “big bang on the door with a sledgehammer,” before running away to call for help.
He returned and found the synagogue completely lit.
“I knocked on the door, it was hot and I burned my hand so I didn’t go in,” he told AAP.
Fellow congregant Ruvi Herzogtold told AAP: “It’s devastating, straight to the heart of the community, to go and know you’re not safe.”
Glen Eira is home to one of Victoria’s largest Jewish communities with 25,585 people, according to state government data.