Vigil held at Melbourne’s firebombed Adass Israel Synagogue after fire attack
Supporters have gathered with conservative Jewish Australians after their synagogue was violently attacked and burned.
Supporters and members of Melbourne’s large Jewish population have gathered for a vigil at the site of a burnt out synagogue.
The ultra-Orthodox temple was firebombed and significantly damaged about 4am on Friday by what police suspect was a trio of young men or possibly teenagers.
Two worshippers were in the temple at the time; there were no major injuries but a Jewish man who fled when a window was smashed burnt his hand on a door.
Millions of dollars of holy texts, handwritten Torah scrolls, artefacts and furniture were destroyed or badly damaged.
Flowers and messages of support have been laid at the site in the days since the attack, and on Sunday morning a vigil was held.
About 300 hundred people gathered in a park near the synagogue, with many people draped in Israel flags and many others wearing traditional clothing signifying their Judaism.
Attending media report a relatively high spirit among the crowd - given the circumstances -including singing and chanting.
Former federal Liberal Party deputy leader Josh Frydenberg was in attendance but did not speak to the crowd.
Local federal Labor MP Josh Burns took to the stage and received some jeers, but was defended state Liberal MP David Southwick.
After the 45-minute gathering, people continued to place flowers on the temporary fencing surrounding the badly burnt temple.
In the wake of the attack on Friday, the Prime Minister said the “shocking” and “un-Australian” incident “should be unequivocally condemned”.
“To attack a synagogue is an attack of anti-Semitism. It’s attacking the right that all Australians should have to practice their faith in peace and security,” the Prime Minister said.
Despite the condemnation, Anthony Albanese was criticised by current and former political opponents for not calling the attack a terrorist act.
On Sunday he labelled the firebombing as an act of terrorism.
“If you want my personal view, quite clearly terrorism is something that is aimed at creating fear in the community and the atrocities that occurred at the synagogue in Melbourne clearly were designed to create fear in the community,” Mr Albanese told reporters.
“And therefore, from my personal perspective, certainly fulfils that definition of terrorism.”
ASIO and Victorian anti-terrorism police are investigating and have not yet ruled the attack as a terrorist incident.
Victorian and federal police forces will meet on Monday to officially determine whether the arson attack was an act of terror.
The firebombing happened at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, in Melbourne’s southeast.
Ripponlea and the surrounding suburbs have a high concentration of Jewish Australians.
The Adass Israel Synagogue is home to members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and is one of the busiest Jewish temples in the country.
The male members of this sect are recognisable by their white collared shirts, long black coats, broadbrimmed black hats and circular fur hats - the latter called shtreimel.
Melbourne’s Adass Israel community traces its origins to Holocaust survivors from countries such as Hungary and Czechoslovakia. The Adass’ are known to be particularly insular and highly observant of Jewish religious law.
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