Historic Australia Synagogue Vandalized Twice Amid Rising Antisemitism Fueled by Mideast Tensions

A historic synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, was defaced twice in one day over the weekend, the latest in a surge of antisemitic incidents as anti-Israel sentiment grows nationwide amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

According to local police, an unknown individual spray-painted offensive graffiti on the walls of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation on Sunday afternoon. Despite its removal, the building was targeted again later that evening by unidentified offenders.

Vandals defaced the heritage-listed synagogue with graffiti reading “Iran is da bomb” and “Free Palestine,” less than 12 hours after the United States joined Israel in a coordinated airstrike operation targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, including the heavily fortified Fordow site.

Iran has also been the chief backer of Hamas for years, providing the Palestinian terrorist group with weapons, funding, and training.

“There is absolutely no place at all in our society for antisemitic or hate-based symbols and behavior,” Melbourne’s police spokesperson said in a statement.

Local law enforcement has launched an investigation into the incident and is urging anyone with information to come forward.

Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) condemned the disturbing attack, calling it the latest in a rising wave of anti-Jewish incidents targeting the local Jewish community since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — an escalation that has continued amid the ongoing war between the Jewish state and Iran.

“This was not random. It was a calculated attempt to intimidate Jewish Australians,” Dvir Abramovich, Chair of the ADC, said in a statement.

“An attack on a synagogue is an attack on every church, mosque, and temple. It’s an assault on religious freedom and the right to live without fear,” he continued.

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan also condemned the attack, describing it as “disgraceful” and urging residents to stay united, cautioning against letting international conflicts fuel division within Australian communities.

In a press release, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) denounced the incident as a “vile antisemitic attack” and a “direct assault on the Jewish community.”

“This shocking act of hate reminds us that no community is immune to antisemitism,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman said in a statement. “We commend the mayor of Melbourne and the city’s leadership for their swift response and unwavering commitment to standing with the Jewish community.”

“But goodwill alone is not enough — we need a unified, coordinated response from mayors across the country. Every local leader has a duty to act with courage and clarity,” he continued. “We must equip cities with the resources they need to confront hate, not just react to it. What happened in Melbourne must not be normalized.”

Antisemitism spiked to record levels in Australia — especially in Sydney and Melbourne, which are home to some 85 percent of the country’s Jewish population — following Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities.

According to a report from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the country’s Jewish community experienced over 2,000 antisemitic incidents between October 2023 and September 2024, a significant increase from 495 in the prior 12 months.

The number of antisemitic physical assaults in Australia rose from 11 in 2023 to 65 in 2024. The level of antisemitism for the past year was six times the average of the preceding 10 years.

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