Synagogue fire being treated as deliberate anti-Jewish attack

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued a statement describing a fire at Melbourne's Adass Israel synagogue in the early hours of this morning as a "deliberate, unlawful attack".

The Prime Minister's statement implied the synagogue was attacked as an intentional antisemitic act. Fire Rescue Victoria and Victoria Police are treating the fire as suspicious.

Fire broke at at the synagogue in Ripponlea at about 4am on Friday, injuring at least two men. it is understood the men were treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

Witnesses told media that two men broke into the synagogue through a glass window and were seen setting fire to flammable material inside. Congregants were already gathered for early morning service when the attack occurred.

Neighbours called triple zero and fire crews arrived to find the entire single-storey building alight.

Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) CEO Naomi Levin the attack was exactly the kind of incident that Australian Jews have been warning could occur in the face of a dramatically increasing number of antisemitic incidents over the past year.

"We were absolutely shocked, but not surprised, to hear that a synagogue here in Melbourne had been attacked overnight. The Jewish community has been warning about an unacceptable rise in antisemitism for more than a year. We hoped it would never come to this, but today, our fears have been realised."

Opposition leader Peter Dutton also emphasised the predictability of the attack given rising antisemitism.

“I want to pretend this wasn’t expected and it couldn’t be predicted, but I can’t do that to the Australian people,” he told a media conference in NSW.

Adass Israel is the synagogue of Melbourne's ultra-Orthodox community. Its members are highly visible due to their traditional clothing and the men religiously attend the synagogue three times each day, with services beginning as early as 2am.

After the fire was quelled, congregants spent Friday morning removing ritual objects from the synagogue including Torah scrolls, books, tefillin and tallitot. Among the scrolls removed was one which had been rescued from the Holocaust and brought to Australia by survivors.

Synagogue board member Benjamin Klein told The Age that witnesses had seen windows being smashed and Molotov cocktails being thrown into the synagogue.

“There were people inside the synagogue,” Klein said. “They heard banging on the door and the window, and some liquids came through which were lit. The whole thing took off pretty quickly and was on fire.

“One member who was inside ran out and had his hand burnt. For this to happen to a synagogue thousands of kilometres away from anywhere else in the world, a peaceful neighbourhood, a peaceful community – it is quite horrendous.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued the following statement:

Melbourne's Holocaust Museum Co-Presidents Suzanne Hampel and Michael Debinski issued a statement observing that the attack had occurred on the anniversary of Yorta Yorta elder William Cooper protest against Kristallnacht; the 1938 Nazi pogrom which is sometimes regarded as the starting point of the Holocaust.

"Cooper stood up 86 years ago and today we reiterate that violence, racism and hate in any form has no place in Australia. It falls upon each individual and community to work together to ensure a safe society for all." 

Victorian premier Jacinta Allen posted this response: