Antisemitic Attack Rocks Sydney’s Woollahra, Sparking Increased Security
A wave of antisemitic attacks continues to wash over Australia, with the latest incident occurring overnight in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Woollahra, CNN reports.
Vandals torched a stolen car and daubed antisemitic graffiti on walls in a predominantly Jewish area, prompting a strong condemnation from authorities and the Jewish community.
The attack follows a similar arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on Friday, for which police are hunting three suspects. This latest incident, along with previous antisemitic vandalism in Sydney, including an attack in November 2023 where ten cars were damaged and buildings graffitied, has led to the establishment of Operation Avalite, a special police task force dedicated to combating antisemitism and increasing patrols around Jewish institutions.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, speaking alongside police commissioner and Jewish community leaders, described the Woollahra attack as a “deliberate attack designed to put fear into the hearts of the people that live in Sydney’s east.” He confirmed he had spoken with Israel’s Ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, who also condemned the attack.
“This rising tide of antisemitism must end now,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed the condemnation, stating that such attacks have “no place in Australia.”
The recent surge in antisemitic incidents, numbering in the thousands this past year, according to the Jewish community, coincides with escalating tensions surrounding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and the abduction of 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities, and Israel’s subsequent military response, has sparked protests and counter-protests across Australia, including on university campuses. These protests, mirroring similar events in the United States, have unfortunately been accompanied by a rise in antisemitic acts.
In the November incident in Woollahra, two men aged 19 and 20 have already been charged with multiple offenses.
