A Sydney home that was previously owned by a senior Jewish community leader was vandalized and two cars were set on fire overnight Friday, in the latest in a series of antisemitic incidents in the city in recent months, Australian authorities said.
The vehicles that were set ablaze were daubed with anti-Jewish slogans near the former home of a Jewish community leader which was splashed with red paint.
“This was my family home for many years. It’s where my wife and I brought our youngest daughter home from the hospital,” said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. “I tell you no fire, no vandalism, no paint, no threats, no intimidation will stop me.”
Australian police said the latest attacks, which took place in the upscale Sydney suburb of Dover Heights, were hate crimes, and vowed to hunt down the perpetrators.
“We will find you and lock you up,” said New South Wales Police and Counter-terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley. “What we are seeing on our streets is totally un-Australian.”
“We are deeply disturbed by the alarming rise in antisemitic incidents in Sydney, Australia,” said Yigal Nisell, chief operating officer of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and director of its operations in Australia, where he lived for nearly seven years.
“What began as verbal and physical assaults, vandalism of Jewish property, and the display of antisemitic symbols has escalated to the point of attempted murder. Yesterday, the former home of Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, was attacked, and his car was set on fire.”
Nisell continued, “We are witnessing a significant increase in life-threatening antisemitic attacks, particularly in the past year. This is no longer just a series of isolated incidents but an ongoing, coordinated campaign of hate that must be confronted.”
“We urgently call on the Australian government, local authorities and leaders from all sectors to take immediate, decisive action to protect the Jewish community and to enforce the law against these hateful acts,” he said.
Last week, vandals defaced two Sydney synagogues with Nazi symbols within 24 hours.
Last month, arsonists torched a Melbourne synagogue.
