2024 Melbourne synagogue attack

2024 Melbourne synagogue attack
Location of the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, Victoria.
Location	Adass Israel Synagogue, Ripponlea, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates	37.8758°S 144.9959°E / -37.8758; 144.9959
Date	6 December 2024 (2024-12-06) 4:10 a.m. (AEDT; UTC+11:00)
Target	Members of the congregation, the synagogue building
Attack type	Arson terrorist attack
Weapon	Petrol
Deaths	0
Injured	1
Perpetrators	At least two unknown perpetrators
Motive	Unknown
Destruction of the building Injury of one congregation member Victoria Police declare the incident a terrorist attack on 9 December Counter-terrorism units of the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police search for perpetrators.

On 6 December 2024, at approximately 4:10 am local time, an arson terrorist attack took place at the Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne in Ripponlea, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The resulting fire injured one member of the synagogue and caused significant damage to the building.

The attack is currently being investigated by the Australian Federal Police's counter-terrorism unit. On 9 December 2024, Victoria Police stated the incident was being treated as a terrorist attack. The perpetrators of the attack reportedly used an accelerant and followed by spreading that throughout the interior of the building with a broom before lighting the accelerant fluid. And police commenced searching for the perpetrators of the attack.

Background

Following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, antisemitic actions directed at Australian synagogues occurred. In an incident occurring on 8 October 2023, in New South Wales, two individuals walked past a synagogue and shouted “Allahu Akbar”, before saying that they would “blow up the synagogue”. On 11 October 2023, in Melbourne, a synagogue received a bomb threat. On 23 November 2023, in Western Australia, an individual threw two glasses of red paint at a synagogue. In December 2023, hoax bomb threats were made to several synagogues across Australia. In November 2024, a Chabad synagogue in St Kilda, Melbourne was vandalised. The targeted synagogue in the December 2024 attack was the Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne, an Orthodox congregation located in Ripponlea, Victoria. It was built in 1965 and opened on 19 September 1965. It is part of the Adass Israel Congregation, a Jewish group in Melbourne that traces its origins to a split in the Elwood Talmud Torah Hebrew Congregation in 1939/1940. Some of its early members were boys and men who had been sent to Australia by the British on the infamous Dunera in 1941. The community has a school in nearby Elsternwick and a chevra kadisha in St Kilda. The Synagogue was previously severely damaged in an arson attack on 1 January 1995. The terrorist attack took place in a period where the Australian Government's National Terrorism Threat Level was at probable after being raised in August 2024, indicating that there is a greater than 50% chance of a terrorist attack or attack planning taking place in Australia's near future. The threat level had previously been at probable level since shortly after November 2015's Paris terror attacks until 2022 when it was lowered to possible.

Attack

In the early hours of 6 December 2024, two masked men entered the Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne in Ripponlea. The men began pouring an accelerant on the floor and spreading it throughout the interior of the building with a broom when they were disturbed by a congregant who was attending the synagogue. The two perpetrators set the accelerant alight just before 4:10 am and fled the scene. The fire spred quickly causing extensive damage to the inside of the synagogue and collapsing part of the roof. One member of the synagogue sustained minor injuries to his hands in the fire.

Dozens of emergency service crews, including 65 firefighters, were called to Synagogue shortly after the blaze first started. Firefighters spent more than an hour containing the blaze. A crime scene was established after the fire had been put out and members of the synagogue where allowed to enter in the afternoon of 6 December 2024 to retrieve the Torah scrolls, holy books, tallits, tefillin, other artefacts and some personal items.

Investigation

On 9 December, in the wake of the synagogue attack, the AFP established Taskforce Avalite to investigate antisemitism in Australia. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) also announced it would be assisting the taskforce in its investigation.

Reactions

Australia

Australian Federal Government

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on a radio interview on 6 December that he was "outraged" at the attack. He revealed that he had been briefed that same day by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner, and that the attack was deliberate and CCTV footage had shown the two assailants spread an accelerant throughout the building with a broom before setting it alight. Albanese also spoke to the government's special envoy for antisemitism, Jillian Segal, on 6 December. On 8 December, Albanese stated the incident was "quite clearly" an act of terrorism, and announced A$32.5 million in federal funding for security upgrades to Jewish schools and community centres. Other governmental bodies to condemn the incident included the Australian Human Rights Commission,

Victorian Government

Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan condemned the attack as an "evil antisemitic attack". On 6 December, at a press conference in front of the synagogue, Allan pledged A$100,000 from the state government to fund the rebuilding of the synagogue. Similarly, the incident was condemned by local elected officials.

Liberal Party of Australia

Federal Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, said the attack was abhorrent, and that it was to be expected due to what he sees as a lack of compassion for the Jewish people from the Albanese government. Dutton also stated that the funding announced by the federal government on 8 December should be allowed to be used to fund armed guards for Jewish schools and community centres. On 9 December, Dutton criticised Labor MP for the Division of Macnamara, Josh Burns, stating that the Jewish community was "rightly" critical of Burns and that he had "lost his voice" and hadn't "stood up to a weak prime minister" on security matters affecting the community. Burns, who is Jewish, stated in response that he was focused on his community, and that his office had been the subject of an antisemitic attack in June 2024. On 10 December, Burns stated that he had literally lost his voice when attending a press conference at the synagogue, and so had asked Liberal senator James Paterson to read a statement out for him. Burns stated that Dutton had personally intervened to instruct Paterson not to read out Burns' statement. Paterson responded in a statement that it was not his role to be a "spokesman for a Labor MP".

Australian Jewish community groups

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry called for the Australian government to address the incident with action and not merely words, stating "“We ask you, Prime Minister, to reflect on how this has been allowed to occur. We ask you to reflect on how the conditions in which a synagogue can be set alight have been allowed to develop. Your words swiftly condemning the attack were heard by our community. However, the time for mere words has long passed. We now call for action." The Jewish Community Council of Victoria condemned the attack; JCCV CEO Naomi Levin stated: “We were absolutely shocked, but not surprised, to hear that a synagogue here in Melbourne had been attacked overnight. The Jewish community has been warning about an unacceptable rise in antisemitism for more than a year. We hoped it would never come to this, but today, our fears have been realised.” The Jewish Council of Australia issued a statement condemning the attack as an "act of hatred", "disgusting", and "antisemitic violence", and that there was an "urgent need for cooperation, education and community dialogue to combat prejudice and promote understanding". The Jewish Council also condemned efforts to label the attack as a false flag, as the claim would only deepen antisemitic sentiment. The Australian Jewish Association released a statement in which they felt 'outraged' but not surprised due to their view that Jews and Jewish association had been abandoned by the Albanese government.

Religious leaders

The attack was condemned by the Victorian Multicultural Commission's multifaith advisory group, stating: "Places of worship hold profound meaning for people of faith. The right to feel safe and free to worship in these sacred spaces is fundamental and must be respected and protected. We stand together to promote understanding, respect and harmony among all faith communities and people of goodwill. We assure them of our loving prayers and meditation." Seperately, the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne condemned the attack, stating that "A peaceful place of worship has been violated—nothing can justify such violence. Antisemitism has no place in our society. We stand in prayerful solidarity with members of the Jewish community at this time." And the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) condemned the attack, stating: “Such acts of hatred and violence must be met with a swift and firm response from law enforcement. We urge the authorities to thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.” Nationally, the attack was condemned by the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA), stating: "It is for all of us to step up as peacemakers and commit to upholding the safety and harmony of our multi-cultural and multi-faith society in Australia."

Others

On 7 December, former Liberal MP Josh Frydenberg and former Labor senator Nova Peris called at a press conference for the federal government to declare the event a terrorist attack. Frydenberg said that Jewish Australians were now talking openly about leaving the country and that young Jews are forced to conceal their faith and ethnicity for fear of attack. Peris called the attack 'totally deplorable'.

The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), via a post on its Instagram account, condemned the attack stating that "attacks on religious institutions have no place in our community." APAN also criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement linking the attack to Australia's support of a United Nations resolution.

An Islamic preacher in Sydney, who previously came under public scrutiny for antisemitic remarks, issued to his congregation, delivered a statement that blamed the attack on a Jewish conspiracy. The preacher's statement was criticised by the New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns. A statement with similar conspiratorial language was made by the chief of staff of Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens senator. The statement was subsequently retracted and an apology was issued.

Israel

Prime Minister and President of Israel

Following the attack and Australia voting in the United Nations General Assembly to expel Israel from its occupied territories, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the Albanese government, as well as saying that it was impossible to separate Australia's position in the United Nations with state-sponsored antisemitism. Netanyahu also stated he considered Albanese to be an 'extreme anti-Israelist and anti-Semite'. President Isaac Herzog said that he has spoken with Albanese about the attack, and had told Albanese that the recent antisemitic attacks required 'strong and firm action'.

United States of America

On 10 December 2024, the Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a travel warning for Jews visiting Australia, advising them to exercise "extreme caution" and that they were "not convinced that Jews are safe [in Australia]".

See also

• 1982 Sydney Hakoah Club bombing
• Antisemitism in Australia
• List of attacks on Jewish institutions