Synagogue security ramped up with anti-vehicle bollards
Swastika graffiti is being investigated by police on the lower north shore after both the Cremorne Synagogue and Mosman Council chambers were defaced with the symbols.
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Swastika graffiti is being investigated by police on the lower north shore.
Both the Cremorne Synagogue and Mosman Council chambers were defaced with the symbols, police said.
The Synagogue was targeted last month and a number of symbols were scrawled across the building.
Rabbi Chaim Koncepolski said it was a terrible incident but was important to put it into context.
“We found out it was a group of young teenagers,” he said. “They tried to do a swastika but it wasn’t accurate. They didn’t know how to draw it properly.”
A used bong and leftover salad were found nearby and the Rabbi doesn’t believe it was an organised act of hatred.
He suspects the group didn’t fully understand the meaning of the symbol.
Last week Mosman Council staff were confronted with swastikas stuck to the front door of the chambers.
Police said a group of unknown offenders used an adhesive material to stick the swastikas and several other hate symbols to the glass door. The incident occurred overnight on February 6.
Anyone who noticed suspicious activity at either location is asked to contact Chatswood police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Bondi Beach also faced a clean up this week after swastikas were scrawled at prominent locations.
Meanwhile, the Cremorne Synagogue has received a major government grant to ramp up security against a potential terrorist attack.
A total of $357,400 was announced for bollards to protect the site of worship from vehicle attacks and CCTV.
The funding was revealed in a community newsletter from Tony Abbott MP, which stated the funds were provided for “anti-hostile vehicle bollards”.
“The Safer Communities Grant is a programme that my government put in place that is specifically designed to help facilities that could be potential terrorist targets,” Mr Abbott said.
“It’s doing exactly what it’s meant to do when it helps to protect a synagogue such as the one in Cremorne.”
It was one of the biggest grants provided to community groups in the area.
The need for bollards and protective concrete structures in public areas has ramped up following terror-motivated vehicle attacks on pedestrians across the world.
Security is at the forefront in the Jewish community. A gunman burst into a synagogue in Pittsburgh last year and killed 11 people.
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