Synagogue, Restaurant Targeted as Attacks Rock Melbourne

Clear Facts

• A synagogue in Melbourne was targeted in an arson attack while worshipers were inside.
• Masked extremists attacked an Israeli-owned restaurant, using violent chants and property destruction.
• Jewish leaders and officials have condemned a recent rise in antisemitic incidents across Australia.

Recent antisemitic attacks in Melbourne have left the Jewish community fearful and demanding firm action from Australian authorities.

The first incident involved a fire being lit outside the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation during Shabbat, with around 20 people inside.

Police have not formally classified the synagogue fire as a terror event, but investigations are ongoing.

Avi Yemini described the incident, stating the fire brigade’s rapid response kept “yet another synagogue in this city from being destroyed in a terror attack, like the firebombing of the Adas Israel Synagogue last year, which remains unsolved.”

The same evening, approximately 20 masked assailants targeted Miznon, an Israeli-owned restaurant. They chanted hostile slogans such as “death to the IDF” and threw objects at diners.

Yemini told Fox News Digital protesters were “causing absolute mayhem” and that the violence “escalated to violence against patrons and the destruction of property, ultimately sending terrified diners running for safety.”

Police arrested one protester, who was later released pending a summons.

Authorities are also investigating a third related incident, where vehicles were set on fire and antisemitic graffiti was discovered nearby. A police commander described the acts as containing “inferences of antisemitism.”

Alex Ryvchin urged, “all sides of politics and all Australians to condemn these deplorable crimes.”

“Those who chant for death are not peace activists. Those who would burn houses of prayer with families inside do not seek an end to war,” Ryvchin emphasized.

He also pointed to “violent ideology at work in our country that operates on the fringes of politics and social movements,” adding, “those responsible cannot be reasoned with or appeased. They must be confronted with the full force of the law.”

Yemini concluded that anti-Israel agitators have grown “emboldened”. He added, “Since October 7, Victoria Police — under the direction of the government — have allowed anti-Israel protesters to effectively hold Melbourne hostage.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denounced the attacks, asserting there “have been too many antisemitic attacks in Australia” and called for stronger government action to “fight this poisonous disease.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry tracked 2,062 antisemitic incidents in Australia between October 2023 and September 2024.

These crimes have reignited conversations about security and community resilience, while calls for firmer government response intensify.

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