‘An act of hate’: Counter-terrorism police to investigate synagogue firebombing

Officers from the state’s Counter Terrorism Command will join the investigation into the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue that has been widely condemned as an act of antisemitism.

Members of the Adass Israel congregation were forced to flee in the early hours on Friday as fire engulfed the synagogue in Ripponlea, following the arson attack by two masked suspects who remain at large.

The destroyed interior of the Adass Israel synagogue.

The men were pouring liquid on the floor when they were disturbed by a congregant who was attending the Glen Eira Avenue synagogue, police said, prompting the suspects to flee.

On Friday, police scrambled to increase security at synagogues across the city through the weekend.

Yumi Friedman, founder of the popular business Yumi’s dips, said he was one of those inside the synagogue when the attack happened.

He said he heard a sudden bang – like a sledgehammer on the door – and ran to his nearby shop, where a staff member called the police. When he returned to the synagogue, he found a small fire inside.

Yumi Friedman (centre) was inside the synagogue when the building was firebombed.Credit: Arsineh Houspian.

“So I thought maybe I’ll be able to open the doors and go inside, but when I touched the door, I burnt my hand,” Friedman said.

“Before you knew it, [the fire] had spread and was totally out of control.”

Another man who was at the synagogue when the attack happened was not injured, police said.

Images obtained by this masthead show extensive damage inside the synagogue. The blaze gutted the building, leaving charred ruins, a tangle of wiring and a collapsed roof.

After the blaze, members of the congregation rushed to salvage items including a trove of holy books and precious Torah scrolls.

They formed a line, passing along artefacts and personal items – tallits (prayer shawls) and tefillin (phylacteries worn on the arm and head during prayer) – out of the blackened building. Members carefully loaded them into a car, kissing them as is customary when touching a Torah scroll.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was briefed on the incident by Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw, described the attack as “an outrage”.

“By definition, this is an act of hate, and it’s something that should not occur in Australia or anywhere else for that matter,” he said. “People must be allowed to conduct their faith as they see fit, in a peaceful way.”

Albanese said he wasn’t worried about “getting ahead” of the investigation by labelling it antisemitism, saying that “an attack on a synagogue is an act of antisemitism by definition”.

Peter Khalil, the federal government’s special envoy for social cohesion, said attacks based on a person’s ethnicity or faith or on places of worship were utterly unacceptable.

“They are an attack on all of us,” he said. “Places of worship like synagogues are places of peace, faith, learning and community. All of us must continually call out any hatred and violence every time they occur.”

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the attack was predictable given the rise of antisemitism across Australia following the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7 last year and Israel’s subsequent bombing of Gaza.

“Everybody knew that antisemitism, that hatred and that vilification, that racism, was lurking beneath the surface,” Dutton said.

“But what we’ve seen on our university campuses, what we’ve seen online, what we’ve seen against people of Jewish faith in the community has been completely and utterly unacceptable, and it should be totally condemned in our country.”

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils condemned the attack. “We are deeply disturbed by the violent attack on the Melbourne synagogue,” president Rateb Jneid said. “There is absolutely no justification for such acts of aggression against any community, regardless of the circumstances.”

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network also condemned the arson. “Attacks on religious institutions have no place in our community,” the group said in an Instagram post. “Racist attacks rooted in antisemitism, Islamophobia or anti-Palestinian racism must be opposed and condemned … Our thoughts are with the Jewish community and all those impacted by these acts.”

Some of the rescued Torah scrolls, covered with prayer shawls, in a car.Credit: Cassandra Morgan

On Friday afternoon, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan met leaders from the Adass Israel congregation, pledging $100,000 to help rebuild the synagogue.

“We all stand here today to condemn in the strongest possible terms this hateful, violent attack on a beautiful, peaceful place of worship, a place of study, the beating heart of the Adass Israel community here in Melbourne,” she said.

Allan called the firebombing an “evil act” that was “most definitely antisemitic”, but refused to confirm if it constituted an act of terrorism.

The premier was heckled by several frustrated congregants, who accused the state government of ignoring an escalation of vilification against Jewish people over the past year.

Premier Jacinta Allan with community members outside the synagogue.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui

Synagogue board member Benjamin Klein described the attack as horrendous.

“For this to happen to a synagogue thousands of kilometres away from anywhere else in the world, a peaceful neighbourhood, a peaceful community,” he said.

Klein said members of the congregation usually begin arriving to pray about 2am or 3am daily.

“This synagogue is the busiest synagogue in Australia, so it’s a very, very active synagogue,” he said. “We’re open 20 [to] 22 hours a day.”

Some Jewish people said they felt unsettled by the brazen firebombing.

However, Blake Street Hebrew Congregation Rabbi Noam Sendor said the attack would not deter his congregants from attending their Sabbath services on Friday night and Saturday.

“There’s no question for us,” he said. “We are responding with unity, strength and resilience.”

Sendor said his synagogue would run a special program on Friday evening in anticipation of greater attendances on Friday night and Saturday during the day.

Congregants outside the synagogue on Friday morning.Credit: Simon Schluter

He said congregants would want to show support to their “brothers and sisters” who were directly affected by the attack.

“That’s the way we respond,” Sendor said. “What terror wants to do is shift the way we think about things and instil fear. I don’t think people are going to let that happen.”

However, Sendor said there would be increased security arrangements and the synagogue’s protection team would have a greater presence than usual.

Community Security Group Victoria chief executive Justin Kagan said his officers had been active since the early hours of Friday morning and initiated a security plan that would continue throughout the weekend and next week.

The group provides security support and training to Jewish community organisations, including schools, religious institutions, youth movements and other groups.

“We’re working hard to help our community feel safe and confident as they prepare for the Sabbath period,” Kagan said. “As always, our priority is protecting Jewish life and Jewish way of life, and we continue to serve our community, ensuring they can live as proud Australian Jews.”

The Counter Terrorism Command will assist an investigation by the arson and explosions squad.

Detective Inspector Chris Murray, of the arson and explosives squad, assured the community that police would do everything they could to bring the attackers before the courts.

“To let the community know that we’re going to do our best to make sure that they can return, as they should, to their local synagogues, doing what is absolutely Australian – that is to be able to worship without fear,” Murray said.

A police spokeswoman confirmed additional patrols would be conducted around the synagogue and surrounding areas, while the force would work closely with the local community to provide reassurance.

He said the blaze was the second time the synagogue had been targeted by arsonists. In 1995, Adass Israel was severely damaged by a deliberately lit fire.

“My grandfather was the president at the time,” Klein said. “He was a Holocaust survivor, and I will never forget him standing among the smoke and ash and just crying.

“It is the jewel of the crown of the Jewish community.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dash cam/CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

With Lachlan Abbott

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