Protestors target Sydney’s Great Synagogue
Pro-Palestinian protestors gathered outside The Great Synagogue during an event to mark 100 years of the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion).
A group of pro-Palestinian protestors targeted The Great Synagogue in Sydney on Wednesday evening as members of the Jewish community were holed up inside.
The synagogue was hosting an event to mark 100 years of the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion), with esteemed professors, artists and political thinkers headlining the occasion.
Outside, the protest group Stop the War of Palestine led chants of ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ and held up a slogan calling for the eradication of the state of Israel.
Sky News reported that when police arrived on the scene, the Synagogue was in lockdown with those inside unable to leave, according to a senior source involved in the situation.
NSW Police said that two men – one aged 37 and another aged 50 – “not associated with the event” were seen carrying a flag.
“The man – aged 37 – was approached by police for breach of peace and issued a move on direction, which he complied,” authorities said in a statement.
“The second man – aged 50 – allegedly failed to comply with the move on direction, and issued an infringement notice for failure to comply.”
Rabbi Yossi Friedman was inside the synagogue to lead the prayers for Israel, the IDF and the hostages still held in Gaza.
“We gathered in peace to celebrate the amazing achievements of Israel (and the Technion in particular) in tech and innovation,” he posted on Instagram.
“Achievements, I add, that have benefitted not only israel but the entire world! Inside the very iPhones of those protestors is technology that has come out of the Technion. Yet those protestors are ignorant of this and choose to ignore it. They only know of hate and come to disrupt and scream. When will the world (and our government) WAKE UP and see??”
The group of protestors, which was apparently “supported by staff and students” from UTS and Sydney University, claimed it was only protesting against Technion, despite gathering outside the home of Sydney’s oldest congregation and a significant religious site.
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