Anti-Israel activists vandalized the oldest synagogue in Sydney, Australia on Sunday, displaying a large banner outside the front entrance reading “sanction Israel” in capital letters, along with Palestinian flags.
“Let’s be clear—targeting a synagogue is pure, unadulterated antisemitism which is intended to have a chilling and intimidating effect on members of the Synagogue and the Jewish community more broadly,” tweeted the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies.
Today, another line was crossed when Sydney’s oldest synagogue - The Great Synagogue - was vandalised.
— NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (@NSWJBD) July 14, 2024
The Synagogue has continuously operated in its current location since 1878 as a testament to the vibrancy of Jewish life in Sydney and Australia.
Over the past nine months,… pic.twitter.com/eXHjYoT3de
“Despicable conduct such as this is completely antithetical to our Australian way of life. Places of worship are sacred and should be places of safety, refuge and comfort,” the statement continued.
“This is truly outrageous behaviour and we are appalled. Enough is surely enough. If you have so far remained silent, now is the time to speak up.”
Consecrated in 1878 in the capital of New South Wales, The Great Synagogue has been in continuous operation since, and is currently home to an Orthodox Jewish community of some 550 families.
According to the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, since the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7 and amid the ensuing war in Gaza, services at the synagogue have been regularly interrupted by anti-Israeli protests in the area.
Last week, Australia tapped its first special envoy to combat antisemitism amid a rise in anti-Jewish sentiment in the country since the start of the war.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tapped Jewish lawyer and business leader Jilian Segal for the three-year role.
In her role, Segal will advise the prime minister and Multicultural Affairs Minister Andrew Giles on antisemitism and promote education and awareness of the issue.
“Antisemitism erodes all that is good and healthy in a society—as such, it poses a threat not just to the Jewish community, but to our entire nation,” said Segal.
Australia has seen an increase in acts targeting the Jewish and pro-Israel community in the months since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre.
Australian police arrested four pro-Palestinian protesters on July 4 after they briefly occupied the roof of the national parliament in Canberra, flying anti-Israel banners.
