As it happened: Melbourne synagogue Adass Israel in Ripponlea torched in early morning firebombing; prime minister, leaders condemn attack

Video supplied by a community member shows the aftermath of the firebombing and firefighting efforts.

Before dawn on Friday, in the quiet of a Melbourne synagogue, Yumi Friedman was studying religious texts when what sounded like a sledgehammer ripped through his sanctuary.

Within seconds, the member of Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea saw glass flying. He jumped from his seat, ran from the building and through a back lane to his nearby shop.

One of his workers called the police, and Friedman returned to the synagogue, wary, when the smell of smoke hit him.

He tried the door and burnt his hand. The small fire – started by masked arsonists who threw in accelerant – soon engulfed the building.

“The person who saw them [described them], and he saw they had big things of petrol,” Friedman told this masthead.

“There was someone else with me, but he left five minutes before I left.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Age reporter Cassandra Morgan captured this footage outside Adass Israel synagogue on Friday.

Read her report from the scene here.

A group of religious and Indigenous leaders gathered on the steps of Parliament in Melbourne this afternoon to commemorate the 86th anniversary of Aboriginal activist William Cooper’s walk and letter in protest of Kristallnacht.

Cooper was one of the first people in the world to publicly protest the forced imprisonment of European Jews in concentration camps in 1938.

The group, which included Christian, Jewish and Indigenous leaders, delivered a statement of unity.

Michael McDonogh is the great-great-grandson of Cooper, who walked from his home in Footscray to the city of Melbourne to deliver his letter of protest 86 years ago.

“It’s an unhealthy Australia that sees people who are very upset with decisions being made by politicians in Israel, pouring out the hatred on Australian citizens and on children,” he said.

“That’s not a healthy Australian society. So rather than be silent, I choose to stand with the Jewish community to say, never again is now.”

Steven Green, of the Southern Cross Alliance for Israel, said: “There is a feeling that stronger laws earlier on would have not seen us in a position where a synagogue has been fired on this morning, [or a] lockdown in a synagogue in Sydney on Wednesday night while violent protest was happening on the outside.”

Read more about William Cooper in today’s story from Age chief reporter Chip Le Grand.

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network has condemned the firebombing.

“Attacks on religious institutions have no place in our community,” the group said in an Instagram post on Friday afternoon.

“Racist attacks rooted in antisemitism, Islamophobia or anti-Palestinian racism must be opposed and condemned in equal measure.

“Our thoughts are with the Jewish community and all those impacted by these acts.”

Meanwhile, Free Palestine Coalition Naarm – a separate, smaller group – also denounced the attacks.

“Solidarity with Jews in Naarm/Melbourne against the antisemitic firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue,” the group wrote on Instagram.

“We stand together with Jewish communities in the fight against the local and international forces of racism and fascism.”

Last week, the group briefly led a call for a snap rally outside another synagogue in Melbourne to protest a speaking event that featured former Israeli military officials. However, the protest was cancelled when organisers said they received “threats of serious bodily harm”. A crowd of pro-Israel supporters still turned up in anticipation of the rally, and eventually got into a heated confrontation with about 10 pro-Palestinian activists who attended, despite the initial action being called off.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, has sought to turn down the temperature on the domestic debate on antisemitism, arguing the Albanese government should not be held responsible for attacks on Jews in Australia.

A statement from the office of the Israeli prime minister overnight said Australia’s increasingly anti-Israel diplomatic positions would “invite more terrorism and more antisemitic riots at campuses and city centres, including in Australia”.

But Maimon on Friday played down the statement, noting it was drafted by the PM’s office and not attributed to Benjamin Netanyahu himself.

When asked about the relevance of the distinction, Maimon said he “didn’t want to get into it”.

The Coalition and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have regularly accused Labor of turning a blind eye to rising rates of antisemitism and attacks on Jewish sites since the events of October 7, 2023.

Maimon rejected the notion that the Australian government should be directly blamed.

“Well, I don’t hold … the Albanese government as responsible for the rise [in antisemitism],” he said.

“But I do urge the Albanese government to take all necessary actions and steps in order to uproot this ugly phenomenon and to make sure the Jewish people, whether they live in Canberra or in Melbourne and Sydney or elsewhere, will feel safe and secure.”

Premier Jacinta Allan shut down a press conference outside Adass Israel synagogue after being heckled.

Allan began by thanking the Jewish community for attending her address on “one of their darkest days” and pledged $100,000 to help rebuild the burnt synagogue. A further $1 million will be distributed as Jewish community security infrastructure grants.

She denounced the attack on behalf of all Victorians, who “feel as sick and as disgusted as I do … We also stand united to condemn this act”.

“In being able to see the damage today and talk directly with members of the community … it will take some time to understand the extent of the damage, to survey the damage and look at what next steps need to be taken,” she said.

Allan also confirmed there would be increased police presence in the Jewish community over the coming days.

“They’ll be around synagogues. They’ll be around important places for the Jewish community. They’ll also be in public spaces as well providing support to the local community,” she said.

The conference was cut short after a heckler interrupted, accusing Allan of “losing control” of the situation.

“Why should we trust that you’re going to keep the [Jewish community] safe when you’ve failed for a year and a half?” they asked.