Thieves remove Jewish-Israeli plaques at Caulfield Park

Three commemorative plaques have been stolen from Caulfield Park, including two of deep significance to Melbourne’s Jewish community.

Police and the local city council have confirmed it was a deliberate act of vandalism carried out overnight on April 6.

Glen Eira Mayor Simone Szmood told The AJN the council was “very disappointed” by the incident.

“These plaques honour service and sacrifice, and any damage to memorials of this significance undermines these shared values and is taken extremely seriously,” she said, confirming that none of the missing plaques have been recovered.

Detectives from the Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit are investigating the matter.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said offenders are believed to have attended the park during the night and removed the plaques.

No arrests have been made, though police say they are engaging with the local community.

Among the targeted memorials is the Beer-Sheba Israel Memorial, unveiled on Anzac Day 1995, which honours the famous Australian Light Horse Charge at Beersheba in 1917.

The Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Plaque, commemorating the Swedish diplomat who saved approximately 100,000 Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust, was also affected.

A World War I memorial listing the names of 298 local people who died in the conflict was stolen as well.

The motive for the theft is not yet known.

In a handful of previous incidents across Australia, brass and bronze plaques have been removed from public monuments for their value as scrap metal.

Mayor Szmood said the council is now working through the process of replacing the plaques, “including seeking heritage and specialist advice to ensure they are restored respectfully and appropriately.”

Local MP David Southwick described the damage as “nothing short of disgraceful”, calling it “a deliberate act of disrespect toward those who served, those who sacrificed, and the values we honour as a nation.”

He said discussions have already taken place with the council about restoring the plaques, and that those responsible must be held accountable.

The theft comes just weeks before Anzac Day.

The damage follows other recent acts of vandalism targeting public monuments across Australia.

In January, a 150-year-old colonial monument in Melbourne’s oldest park, Flagstaff Gardens, was torn down ahead of Australia Day, in what authorities described as a deliberate act.

In January 2025, vandals pulled down a statue of Captain Cook at the entrance of Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.