Australia: Day Care Center Near Jewish Synagogue Firebombed and Sprayed With Antisemitic Graffiti

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Amid a surge in threats and attacks on Australia’s Jewish community, a childcare center located near a Jewish school and synagogue in Sydney was firebombed and had antisemitic graffiti sprayed on its walls in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Haaretz reports. The center was empty at the time of the attack and there were no reports of injuries.

The childcare center is not affiliated with the nearby Jewish school and synagogue, but the attackers who scrawled “F— the Jews” (language filtered by Worthy News) on one of its exterior walls were apparently unaware of that, Haaretz noted.

Tuesday’s attack was the second such incident in four days in Sydney and follows a string of antisemitic crimes against Jewish communities across the country, Haaretz reports. The surge in incidents has been especially concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne, cities that are home to 85% of Australia’s Jews.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry reported in December that there were more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents recorded in Australia in the year after the Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massive attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. This figure represents a quadruple rise in antisemitic incidents in Australia from the previous year.

The incidents have included vandalization or arson attacks on Jewish schools, restaurants, and synagogues, the torching of cars belonging to Jews, and threatening letters being sent to Jewish owners, Haaretz reports. One Jewish individual suffered burns in an arson attack.

Latest Worthy News