Newtown Synagogue vandalised; attackers were attempting to start a fire
'An accelerant of some type has been used, and that is an escalation in the level of criminality as far as I'm concerned'
The vandals who graffitied the exterior of Newtown Synagogue early on Saturday morning also attempted to set fire to the building, police have revealed.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday morning, Police Commissioner Karen Webb confirmed an accelerant was used in the attack, though the fire self-extinguished within minutes.
“An accelerant of some type has been used, and that is an escalation in the level of criminality as far as I’m concerned,” Webb said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the incident was “very concerning, not just for the Jewish community but for the wider community”.
“We are of course appalled to see antisemitic crime on the streets of Sydney, in NSW there is never any justification for this kind of racist, antisemitic targeted attack on members of our community,” he said.
“When we have incidents like this that are clearly racist, that are clearly designed to target one group over another, community knows no quarter will be given,” he said.
“There’s been a massive escalation in anti-Semitic hate crime in Australia over the last twelve months. This is not tolerable for anyone that lives in NSW.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also condemned the attack.
“The vile graffiti we’ve seen overnight, including at the Newtown Synagogue, is abhorrent and needs to stop immediately,” he posted on X on Saturday.
“Australia is a better place than this. We made it illegal to use Nazi and other hate symbols because there’s no place in Australia for antisemitism.
“The people that committed these crimes should face the full force of the law.”
The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) confirmed on Sunday that Police had uncovered evidence the vandals tried to burn down the Synagogue.
“The hateful criminals who attacked Newtown Synagogue weren’t just attempting to deface a place of worship, they were seeking to destroy it,” the JBD statement said.
This was a failed act of terrorism which risked the safety and property of local residents peacefully sleeping in their homes near the Synagogue.
“The NSW Government has also provided us with additional funding to enhance Jewish communal security and publicly indicated today that they will seek to further strengthen laws dealing with vilification and incitement to violence.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin lamented the social environment of the past 15 months in which the attack took place.
“‘Enough is enough’, people are now declaring. But they’re 15 months late. It was enough when thugs chanted ‘O Jews, the armies of Mohammad are coming’, at the Opera House steps,” he wrote on X.
“Instead of uniting to stop this menace, anti-Israel activists ensured the focus was on whether ‘gas the Jews’ was really chanted as if ‘where’s the Jews’ and ‘f— the Jews’ are any better. They started a process of labelling every incident a Jewish rouse or a false flag to divide society and deplete its ability to unite against antisemitism.
“Now attacks on Jews are the norm, Australia’s international reputation for peace and tolerance are no more, and the Australian value of mateship, of standing up for those doing it tough, has been exposed as a fiction.”
Ryvchin also noted the attack took place in “the Prime Minister’s backyard. And within Jenny Leong’s state seat”.
“Yes, ‘Jews and their tentacles’ Jenny Leong,” he wrote, referring to the Greens MP’s December 2023 speech in which she suggested pro-Israel Jewish groups use “tentacles” to “influence power”.
Leong posted on the weekend, “I am not in Sydney at the moment and have just heard about vile hate symbols graffitied on the Newtown Synagogue. This is unacceptable.
“Everyone has a right to feel safe at home and in their places of worship. Nazi symbols are not okay – ever. Not in Newtown, not anywhere.”
Also on Saturday morning, more antisemitic graffiti was found in Henry Street, Queens Park, following a car being daubed with “F**k the Jews” last Monday morning.
It follows Southern Sydney Synagogue being defaced with Swastikas on Friday.

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