The Australian state of Victoria is establishing an anti-hate task force following the latest antisemitic attack, which involved an arson attack on a synagogue on Friday night while worshippers were inside.
“Just as the fire came to the front door here of this synagogue, it was stopped. So too must we put a stop to antisemitism,” Victoria state Premier Jacinta Allan told reporters on Monday outside the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, where 20 people escaped unhurt from the arson.
“Not only does it have no place here in Melbourne and Victoria, it has no place anywhere,” she continued, according to Reuters.
Allan announced that the task force—including the premier, state police minister, Melbourne’s mayor and police officials—will convene for its inaugural meeting this week, with invitations extended to Jewish community leaders.
As part of broader security measures, the government is seeking expert input while preparing legislation aimed at prohibiting face coverings, the public display of extremist symbols and protest devices that hinder police removal efforts.
Counterterrorism detectives arrested a 34-year-old Sydney resident on Saturday night in connection with the attack during Shabbat prayers, charging him with multiple offenses, including criminal damage by fire.
In a separate incident on Friday, a group of 20 protesters stormed and trashed a popular Israeli restaurant, Miznon, on Hardware Street in Melbourne’s central business district.
Witnesses said the group was chanting “Death to the IDF” before arriving at the restaurant, and diners were fearful as the group threw food and chairs at windows and knocked over tables. Police arrested a 28-year-old man, later releasing him, and opened an investigation to identify the other offenders.
Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli wrote a letter, dated Sunday and addressed to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, urging action to address escalating antisemitism.
The letter expresses “deep alarm” following the two attacks in Melbourne over the weekend, asserting that these “are not isolated incidents.” It cites a recent report by his ministry, which found that antisemitic activity in Australia has spiked by more than 320% since the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, including over 850,000 antisemitic or anti-Israel posts documented online.
“This alarming climate is unfolding under your government’s watch—and is further legitimized by recent decisions to deny entry to former Israeli Minister Ayelet Shaked and Israel advocate Hillel Fuld. These choices are seen as discriminatory and embolden those who spread hate,” Chikli wrote.
“This is no longer a matter of rising tensions—it is a test of moral leadership. When synagogues are burned and Jewish businesses attacked in central Melbourne, silence sends a dangerous message: that Jewish safety is negotiable. That message is unacceptable.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday that he views the two incidents in Melbourne “with utmost gravity.” Calling the antisemitic attacks “reprehensible” and “severe hate crimes,” the premier emphasized that they must be eradicated.
“The State of Israel will continue to stand alongside the Australian Jewish community, and we demand that the Australian government take all action to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law and prevent similar attacks in the future,” Netanyahu’s statement concluded.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also condemned the “vile arson attack targeting Jews in Melbourne’s historic and oldest synagogue on the Sabbath, and on an Israeli restaurant where people had come to enjoy a meal together.”
The president stressed that it was “intolerable that in 2025, we are still faced with the chilling image of an attempt to burn Jews alive as they pray, and attacks on Jewish businesses.” He asserted that attacks on the Jewish community must end, demanding that authorities protect Jewish citizens.
“Antisemitism is a stain on any society,” Herzog continued, “and must be confronted with urgency and resolve.”
