By Ashleigh McMillan, Carla Jaeger and Michael Bachelard
Heartbroken members of Melbourne’s Adass Israel community vowed at a solidarity gathering to restore the “jewel in the crown” by rebuilding their firebombed synagogue.
More than 1000 people rallied to support the congregation on Sunday after the Ripponlea synagogue was firebombed in the early hours of Friday morning. Police are investigating.
Benjamin Klein, a board member of the synagogue, said he found it heartbreaking to walk past the charred building and think of what has been lost.
“We will come back bigger and better, I can assure you. The building will be beautiful – a jewel in the crown once again,” he said on Sunday.
Members of the Adass Israel congregation were forced to flee on Friday as fire engulfed the Glen Eira Avenue synagogue. No one has been arrested, and police are searching for three masked suspects who fled the scene.
The arsonists poured flammable liquid on the floor of the building before they were disturbed by a congregant who was attending the synagogue, police said.
People lay flowers at the synagogue in Ripponlea on Sunday.Credit: Arsineh Houspian
Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed on Sunday that the counter-terrorism units of the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police were investigating.
At the solidarity rally in Ripponlea, many attendees held Israel flags and signs stating “We choose unity” and “I stand with Israel”.
Supporters were encouraged to bring bunches of flowers, which they placed in the fence surrounding the burnt shell of the synagogue.
Police and security officers were in the area during the gathering.
Klein said while the congregation was still reeling, they found strength after they came together on Saturday – Shabbat, the holy day of rest – and were buoyed by widespread community support.
“A lot of the wives and the children were quite shaken up,” he said.
“In school on Friday, we had people come talk to the children to explain to them that most of Melbourne and Australia is not like this. There are some people that don’t like us, but we have to stay strong and continue to thrive.”
Surveying the wall of vibrant flowers, Adass Israel member Moshe Pollak said the public outpouring helped ease the hurt over the destruction of important religious texts.
“I’m incredibly touched by the warmth people have shown – it just tugs at my heart,” he said.
Klein said he estimated Adass Israel could be without a permanent synagogue for more than a year while their place of worship was rebuilt.
“You know, we wake up in the morning, we go to synagogue. Afternoon, the synagogue. Evening, the synagogue. All of our ceremonies and parties … the synagogue is the central point of the community,” Klein said.
While those at the park near the Ripponlea train station danced and sang, the mood was still sombre at times, and attendees urged action from governments to stamp out antisemitism.
The destroyed interior of the Adass Israel synagogue.
The premier said the attack was “an act of antisemitic evil … designed to strike terror into the hearts of the Victorian community”. But she would not label it an act of terrorism until she had received advice from police.
“[Victorian and federal police] will be having a joint meeting tomorrow morning to review the preliminary investigative work that has been done over the last couple of days, and will provide further advice on what that investigation has discovered,” Allan said.
“It’s really important to not compromise prosecutions and take advice from [police].”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, however, said on Sunday that he personally believed the firebombing was a terrorist attack.
Albanese, who announced a new round of funding for Jewish community groups to combat a rise in antisemitic incidents, came under criticism from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who said the federal government’s “grotesque stance” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had created a hostile climate for Jewish people in Australia.
Ripponlea resident Simonne Winecier said it was amazing to see the outpouring of support for the Jewish community, but called for those in power to take escalating hatred against Jews seriously.
“I fear for my children’s lives and I fear for my life. I fear going out as a proud Jew,” she said.
“My parents were Holocaust survivors, and I am glad they are not here today to see what happened to the Adass Israel synagogue. My parents came here because it was the lucky country. They worked so hard and gave so much, and now Australia is failing.”
Speaking at Sunday’s rally, state Opposition Leader John Pesutto criticised the premier for not showing up to the event.
Allan on Sunday morning held a press conference in Northcote to announce changes to red tape to make it easier for businesses.
“I would have hoped that all political leaders, regardless of political background, would come today. Today was a very important occasion,” Pesutto said.
“I’ve been coming to too many events like this, calling for action … we’re not seeing any evidence that the government understand the seriousness of the risks to our Jewish community.”
At a rally in the Melbourne CBD on Sunday, Free Palestine Melbourne organiser Nasser Mashni condemned the attack on the Ripponlea synagogue, saying there was “no room for hate” in their movement.
“Whoever set fire to this synagogue is a racist, is a fascist, is an antisemite, is a Nazi, and they’re not from here. They are not us. Our movement has no room for them,” he said.
“We condemn that act, and we stand here with our brothers and sisters and our siblings who are Jewish who show up every single week ... we stand in solidarity with them because our fight is not with Judaism, it’s with Zionism.”
The pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
On Friday, Allan met leaders from the Adass Israel congregation, pledging $100,000 to help rebuild the synagogue. During her visit, she was heckled by several frustrated congregants, who accused her government of ignoring an escalation of vilification against Jewish people over the past year.
In Northcote on Sunday, Allan said: “Our focus … is firmly centred on providing the support that the Jewish community needs. That support in terms of that increased police presence, the additional support for increased security, which we have been providing since those evil attacks on [Israel on] October 7th [2023], and also to look at further ways that we can strengthen support for the Jewish community.”
Jewish federal Labor MP Josh Burns, whose office was vandalised and had fires lit there in June, said his community was clearly hurting.
“This is a very difficult wake-up call. It shouldn’t have gotten to this point. We need to respond with strength, clarity and action,” he said.
Allan reiterated that the government’s focus when it came to tackling the rise of hate crimes across the state would be its anti-vilification laws, introduced to parliament last month.
“It’s about placing vilification and hate in the crimes act where it belongs, strengthening powers of police and also to send a very clear message about the sort of culture that is expected here in Victoria, a culture of respect,” she said.
Allan declined to comment on the statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who linked the attack on the Ripponlea synagogue with what he called the Albanese government’s anti-Israel sentiment, and lashed Australia’s “scandalous decision” to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes.
“It would not be appropriate for me to cut across those matters of diplomacy and foreign affairs that are conducted between nation states,” Allan said.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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