Caulfield Jewish aged-care home defaced with swastika in spate of anti-Semitic attacks

A Jewish aged-care centre home to Holocaust survivors in Melbourne’s southeast has been defaced in a disturbing attack by an extremist neo-Nazi group.

A swastika found on the intercom outside a Jewish aged care home in Caulfield.

A Jewish aged-care centre that is home to Holocaust survivors has been attacked by a neo-Nazi group.

A swastika by the extremist Antipodean Resistance group was found at the front gates of Emmy Monash Aged Care in Caulfield on New Year’s Day.

Sam Seigel made the discovery while visiting his parents, both aged 94.

He labelled the targeted attack “disturbing”.

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“I saw it stuck to the front gates. I just stood there and looked — it knocked me about,” he said.

“You don’t expect to see those sorts of things, especially at an aged-care residence.”

He said many of the agedcare residents are Holocaust survivors, or had family affected by the atrocity.

The same sticker was found at an apartment complex in Caulfield.

“It is disturbing. These Right-wing extremist groups should be outlawed … to go so low as to put this sticker on an aged care home,” he said.

“These are old people — what can they do? They’d be scared.”

It comes as similar anti-Semitic attacks have been carried out across the southeastern suburbs.

Hateful vandals wrote “Are Jews religious or criminals?” on a sign outside a St Kilda theatre this week.

And the same swastika was found by a resident at her Inkerman Rd, Caulfield apartment building.

Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dr Dvir Abramovich blasted the attacks as “cowardly and evil”.

He said there were “mounting concerns” anti-Semitism was on the rise in Australia after the commission recorded its “largest single-year increase” of attacks in 2018.

“We are appalled by this latest attack, made all the more despicable as there are Holocaust survivors living in this aged-care home who lost family relatives and suffered under Hitler’s regimen,” said Dr Abramovich.

A St Kilda theatre which was vandalised with an anti-Semitic message.

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“I am sure that it would be painful and horrifying for them and for their families to hear about the public displays of neo-Nazism in Caulfield, which they probably thought they would never see in their own lifetime.

“These cowardly and evil acts of vandalism need to end now.”

Victoria Police Senior Sergeant Nicole Warner said the “offensive symbol” found at the aged care home was under investigation.

“Everyone has a right to feel safe and secure in their community,” she said.

“Victoria Police does not tolerate violence and takes all crime seriously, including that which is motivated by prejudice, racism or discrimination.”

The Antipodean Resistance group first emerged in October 2016, and promotes anti-Jewish and homophobic views.

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