Cost to rebuild firebombed Adass Israel synagogue soars, police yet to make arrests

The cost of rebuilding the Adass synagogue has soared as a Labor MP – who has called on Australia to fast-track formal recognition of Palestine – was appointed as a middle-man between Jewish leaders and Anthony Albanese.

The cost of rebuilding the Adass Israel synagogue has soared to tens of millions of dollars, with police yet to make any arrests four weeks after the terror attack.

Rebuilding the Melbourne ultra-Orthodox synagogue to its former glory is now estimated to cost between $25m and $40m, with the building requiring state-of-the-art security systems, including cameras, bollards and guards, to prevent future attacks.

Details of the plans come as federal backbencher Julian Hill, who once accused Israel of being “hell-bent on formalising a policy of apartheid” and has called on Australia to fast-track formal recognition of a Palestinian state, was informally appointed by the federal government to liaise with leaders of the synagogue.

It’s understood the Victorian-based Labor MP and Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs will act as a middle-man between Jewish synagogue leaders and Anthony Albanese. The Australian has approached his office for comment.

Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill. Picture: ABC

The Prime Minister’s office said liaising with the Jewish community fell under Mr Hill’s current portfolio as the Assistant Minister of Multicultural Affairs.

Although Immigration Minister Tony Burke retains full responsibility for maintaining the relationship between the federal government and the Adass community, Mr Hill will use his position to assist Mr Burke.

Sources have told The Australian Mr Hill’s office requested that a three-phase report be drafted in coming weeks, which includes a detailed plan by an architect and a timeline for construction to begin.

It comes as Mr Hill joined hundreds of Jewish people along with opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson to celebrate Hanukkah last Wednesday, which coincided with Christmas Day for the first time in 19 years.

Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann said the community was honoured to welcome Mr Hill, who “spoke powerfully” and condemned anti-Semitic incidents in the fallout from the Israel-Gaza war.

So far, more than $2m has been raised in a campaign that had an initial target of $1m, with some of the largest donations being made by News Corp founder ­Rupert Murdoch, the Herald Sun, the Pratt Foundation, and the Gandel Foundation.

Floral tributes outside the Adass Israel synagogue following the terrorist attack on December 6. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

A visibly shaken Prime Minister previously vowed to help rebuild the Melbourne synagogue during his visit on December 10, but Jewish leaders are yet to find out how much money the federal government will provide.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said “Anyone who describes Israel as an ‘apartheid’ state, when it is the only democracy in the Middle East where two million Arab citizens live with equal rights, either has a sinister agenda or has absolute zero understanding of history and the region”.

Board member Rabbi Benjamin Klein said a detailed plan would be handed to Mr Hill’s ­office in the coming weeks.

The community hope to also expand the synagogue in future to include a multifunctional centre with a playground, a woman’s mental health facility and a library.

“We did have another meeting just before Christmas and the government said to us that they put a special minister to be your liaison,” he said. “They’ve asked us to work through plans, to put forward a three-phase report where we talk about the lockdown, the planning and the rebuild, and to work on a timeline for them.

“They asked us to keep them informed throughout the project and they’ll be able to work with us and tip money into it,” Mr Klein said. “We haven’t sat down with a proper architect yet but we do have another meeting planned with architects in mid-January then we’ll start formalising numbers, and then we’ll be funnelling that back to the government.

“Together with our fundraising and together with insurance, we hope to put something big and grand on there.”

Director of fundraising Chayim Klein extended his gratitude to the federal government.

“We deeply appreciate all they have done for us so far, and look forward to continuing our work together in the future,” Mr Klein said.

As of this week, Victoria Police and the federal police did not have updates, with both agencies telling The Australian information would be provided in due course.

You can donate to the synagogue via www.charidy.com/rebuildadass