Arsonist sets fire to door at Australian synagogue with worshippers inside; no injuries reported

An arsonist set fire to the door of a Melbourne synagogue and forced the congregation to flee on Friday, seven months after criminals destroyed a synagogue in the same Australian city with an accelerant-fueled blaze that left a worshipper injured.

A man doused the double front doors of the downtown East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and set it alight around 8 p.m., Victoria Police said in a news release Saturday. Around 20 worshippers sharing a meal to mark the Shabbat Jewish day of rest evacuated through a rear door and no one was injured, police said.

Fire fighters extinguished the blaze, which was contained to the front entrance, police said. Photos show damage to the front doors. 

Police said that the arsonist was seen walking through a nearby park before entering the grounds of the synagogue. After setting the blaze, he fled the scene on foot, police said. He has not been identified. 

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said the incident and the previous attack were designed to “traumatize Jewish families.”

“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,” she said in a statement.

Acting Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan described the fire as a serious crime. The department’s Counter Terrorism Security Investigation Unit are leading the investigation, police said in a news release Saturday, but the matter “has not been deemed a terrorism incident.” 

“I’d like to make it very clear that we do recognize that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent. But at this stage, we are not declaring this a terrorist incident,” Dunstan told reporters.

“In the course of our investigation, we will examine the intent and the ideology of the persons involved, or person, to determine if this is in fact terrorism. At the moment, we are categorizing it as a serious criminal incident and responding accordingly,” she added.

A terrorism declaration opens the investigation to more resourcing and can result in charges that carry longer prison sentences.

The synagogue’s president, Danny Segal, called for the wider Australian community to stand with his congregation.

“We’re here to be in peace, you know, we’re here for everybody to live together and we’ve got a fresh start in Australia, such a beautiful country, and what they’re doing is just not fair and not right, and as Australians, we should stand up and everybody should stand up,” Segal told reporters.

Police say they are looking to speak to man seen in area 

Victoria Police released a CCTV image of a man they say they are interested in speaking to about the incident. They did not identify the man as a suspect. 

The unidentified man is described as in his mid-30s, with a beard and long hair. He was wearing a dark blue or black sweater, black pants and a black beanie. The CCTV photo shows him carrying a large black bag. 

Protesters harass diners in Israeli-owned restaurant

Also in downtown Melbourne on Friday night, around 20 masked protesters harassed diners in an Israeli-owned restaurant. A Miznon restaurant window was broken. A 28-year-old woman was arrested for hindering police.

Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich, a leading opponent of antisemitism in Australia, said diners were terrorized as the group chanted “Death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces.

“Melbourne, for one night, stopped being a safe place for Jews,” Abramovich said.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece condemned both the synagogue and restaurant incidents. 

“These criminal acts against a Melbourne synagogue and an Israeli business are absolutely shocking,” Reece said. “All of us as a community need to stand up against it.”

Israel’s deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel condemned the attacks, saying it was “yet another reminder of how far racist, antisemitic hate crimes have spread in the heart of Australia,” in a statement on X.

“Israel stands with you,” Haskel added. 

Victoria Police said its detectives are investigating if there are any links between the restaurant incident and the synagogue fire. They are also investigating an “arson attack and criminal damage” to a business in Greensborough, a suburb of Melbourne. 

Antisemitic, Islamaphobic attacks roil Australia

A wave of antisemitic attacks have shaken Australia since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel triggered the war in Gaza.

Jewish and Muslim organizations and hate researchers have recorded drastic spikes in hate-fueled incidents on both groups. The Australian government last year appointed special envoys to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia in the community.

Last December, two masked men struck the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne’s southeast. They caused extensive damage by spreading a liquid accelerant with brooms throughout the building before igniting it. A worshipper sustained minor burns.

No charges have been laid for that attack, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed on antisemitism.

The Victorian Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which includes Victoria state police, federal police and Australia’s main domestic spy agency, said the fire was likely a politically-motivated attack.