Source: CNN
Four vehicles and the former home of a Jewish community leader were defaced in Sydney early Friday, with two cars set alight, in the latest antisemitic attack condemned by Australian authorities, who vowed to “hunt down” the perpetrators.
The attack in Dover Heights, one of the Australian city’s exclusive eastern suburbs, is among more than 100 being investigated by Operation Avalite, a special taskforce created in early December to counter rising antisemitism.
It targeted the former residence of Alex Ryvchin, the co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), who has repeatedly urged the government to do more to address attacks on members of the Jewish community, which have flared up since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Images showed red paint splashed on the home’s exterior, and the words “F*** Jews” were written on the side of a car partially destroyed by fire.
Ryvchin told reporters it wasn’t clear if his family was the target of the attack, but if not, the choice to spray paint that particular home was “one hell of a coincidence.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told CNN affiliate ABC Radio Friday the attack is “against everything that we stand for.”
“What we need to do is to lower the temperature in the community,” Albanese said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined the chorus of condemnation from government ministers, calling the attack a “hate crime” that comes with “serious criminal penalties.”
“We have our best agencies working to make sure that these people are hunted down … Nobody should think that anything that is happening anywhere around the world gives them the right to conduct a hate crime in Australia,” Burke said.
Friday’s attack comes just days after red swastikas were daubed on two synagogues in the Sydney suburbs of Allawah and Newtown.
Two suspects dressed in black were caught on closed-circuit video cameras outside Newtown Synagogue, according to police in the state of New South Wales (NSW), of which Sydney is the capital.
Images released by police show two figures apparently leaving the scene on a pushbike and electric scooter. Police allege they also tried to light a fire.
“We will lock you up”
A spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne prompted the government to assign a special taskforce to address the problem.
Operation Avalite filed its first charges Thursday, against a 44-year-old man who allegedly made death threats via social media directed at the Australian Jewish Association.
The Avalite team of 20 officers and analysts, including counter-terrorism investigators, are investigating dozens of antisemitic attacks dating back to October 2023.
They include an arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue, which was gutted by fire in early December – and led to a security upgrade outside Jewish schools, community centers and places of worship.
“No Australian should have to go to bed filled with apprehension about hate crimes being perpetrated overnight, said David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies Friday.
Standing alongside Ossip, NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley directly addressed the perpetrators of Friday’s attack: “We will hunt you down, we will find you and we will lock you up.”
Chris Minns, the state premier, said laws would be strengthened next month to protect places of worship, including the Great Synagogue in Sydney’s central business district.
He said hate laws would also be tightened, to stamp out antisemitism before it progresses to the firebombing of synagogues and other religious sites.
“The truth of the matter is that incidents of antisemitism, violent behavior are increasing in our community, and collectively, as a community, as a society, we have to stand together to condemn it unambiguously and send a clear message to these animals that these actions will not be tolerated,” he said.
Israel’s onslaught on Gaza after the Hamas-led cross-border attack on October 7, 2023 has deepened divisions within Australian society.
Almost every weekend since the start of the conflict, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have marched through Sydney to call for a ceasefire.
The Australian government has welcomed an agreement that mediators say would see a pause in fighting in Gaza and lead to the phased release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
“Australians want to see the conflict end,” Albanese said Friday. “They want to see hostages released. They want to see people being able to live in peace and security – whether that be Israelis or Palestinians. And they don’t want to see conflict brought here to Australia.”