Childcare centre targeted in latest Sydney hate attack
'This isn’t just a string of antisemitic hate crimes - this is a campaign of domestic terrorism and needs to be treated as the crisis it is'
A Maroubra childcare centre has been vandalised and firebombed in what is the latest vile antisemitic incident to hit Sydney.
Police said that just before 1am on Tuesday, January 21, emergency services were called to a childcare centre on Storey Street, Maroubra. Fire and Rescue NSW attended and found the ground floor well alight. The blaze was extinguished; however, the building sustained extensive damage. Offensive graffiti was also located spray painted on an external wall. The AJN understands it read “F**k the Jews”.
The building was unoccupied at the time and there were no reports of injuries.
Officers attached to Eastern Beaches Police Area Command established a crime scene and an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip said the incident “should outrage and disturb all Australians”.
“This is yet another attack intended to harass, intimidate and menace the Jewish community. This isn’t just a string of antisemitic hate crimes – this is a campaign of domestic terrorism and needs to be treated as the crisis it is,” he said.
“These terrorists must be urgently apprehended or we will continue to see an escalation of these acts of terror.
“The Jewish community continues to stand strong in the face of these acts of terror.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns, said he was “very alarmed and concerned” about the incident and the wave of similar recent attacks in Sydney.
“This is not just malicious damage or random graffiti, as appalling as that would be if it was racially motivated,” he said.
“These are sophisticated attacks. Police are putting resources into it as we speak. They will track down these people.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, condemned what he called an “evil hate crime”.
“My government will support NSW police to hunt down the offenders and ensure they face the full force of the law through Operation Avalite.”
Both Minns and Albanese briefly visited the site of the attack in Maroubra.
Speaking from Poland where he will attend the 80th anniversary commemorations of the liberation of Auschwitz, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said “to plan and execute the firebombing of a childcare centre requires a depth of savagery that is difficult to imagine.
“Today, families will be having conversations about whether it’s safe to send their children to the places where they should be safest. Places of worship, homes and now pre-schools have all been targeted by domestic terrorists.
“Antisemitism consumes everything. It is the disease that is destroying our country. We need national cabinet to deal with what is a national emergency.”
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler called the attack “beyond horrifying”.
“The fact that anyone would target a place where young children learn and play is a chilling escalation of the antisemitic hate we have seen growing in this country. This is not just graffiti. This is not just vandalism. This is a deliberate attempt to instil fear in a Jewish community that has already endured well over a year of intimidation and violence,” he said.
“We have seen synagogues targeted, Jewish homes defaced, and now, a centre for children set on fire. This cannot be dismissed as isolated incidents. This is a pattern. And unless our leaders act decisively, it will get worse.
“We call on authorities to treat this attack with the gravity it deserves and ensure that those responsible are held to account. No more excuses. No more downplaying. This is antisemitism, and it must be confronted head-on.”
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