Melbourne synagogue firebombed with worshippers inside

Australian police are investigating after a Melbourne charedi synagogue was subjected to an arson attack while worshippers were inside.

Authorities in Australia, including the Prime Minister and premier of Victoria have condemned the attack as an act of antisemitism. 

Pledging to stand with Melbourne’s Jewish community, Victoria leader Jacinta Allen said: “This is a place of worship that was built by Holocaust survivors who fled that most evil regime in Europe and chose Melbourne as their home,”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added: “To attack a synagogue is an act of antisemitism, is attacking the right that all Australians should have to practise their faith in peace and security.”

The fire was reported at 4:10 a.m. local time in the suburban area of Ripponlea, the Victoria Police Center told JNS.

According to the local authorities, Fire Rescue Victoria responded to a call of a synagogue on fire. “Firefighters arrived on scene to find the single-story, 30x20-meter building fully involved in fire. The response was escalated to a third alarm with crews wearing breathing apparatus attacking the fire,” they said.

Media reports say several men were inside the synagogue at the time. According to a report on Channel 7 Melbourne, the men heard banging at the door and when they went to answer it, saw two men standing there after having poured “petrol on the front of the synagogue and then lit it on fire.” None of the worshippers were hurt in the attack.

An investigation is underway, the Victoria Police Center told JNS; police are asking witnesses to provide dash cam or other information.

“An absolute travesty. This is the realisation of the worst fears of many in the Jewish community,” James Paterson, a senator in Victoria, said on X.

Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, posted on X: “The firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne appears to be another shocking escalation of the hate that we have seen brazenly displayed on the streets of Melbourne every week for over a year. No one should be surprised; this violent attack is a direct consequence of words turning into actions. Jew-hatred, left unchecked, endangers all Australians. Enough is enough, this is a stain on our nation. It’s time for all levels of government to turn their words into actions to stamp out this Jew-hatred.”

The Chassidic synagogue was the subject of a 2016 documentary film called “Strictly Jewish: The Secret World of Adass Israel.”

According to a synagogue listing page from the St. Kilda Historical Society, this is not the synagogue’s first arson attack. The synagogue was severely damaged in an incident in January 1995 and was rebuilt.