Australian authorities have done more talking than acting when it comes to stemming the tide of anti-Semitic attacks

Australia’s politicians know how to show up – will they act this time against terror?

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ast Friday night, an arson attack on Australia’s East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation resulted only in fire damage to the building — but the images that went viral after Shabbos testified that only a miracle had prevented a tragedy.

Angelo Loras, 34, was arrested by Australian police hours later and charged with hurling a Molotov cocktail at the doors of the shul while some 20 people were having a Shabbos seudah inside. B’chasdei Hashem, the doors withstood the flames. And though there were no fatalities, the incident set off new alarm bells within Australia’s Jewish community, which has become the target of numerous attacks since the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.

In fact, although the synagogue attack made front-page news due to its severity, two other acts of violence against the Melbourne Jewish community were committed that very same day. In the first, a mob of pro-Palestinian protesters vandalized the Israeli-owned restaurant Miznon; later, another mob set fire to cars and sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti.

Sadly, these images are not new to Australians. Last December, another Melbourne shul, Adass Israel, was hit with an arson attack. At the time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack and pledged to “shed light on the facts.”

But not much seems to have changed in the meantime. After the new attack last Shabbos, Albanese sounded like a politician more concerned with managing the press than addressing the root of the problem, focusing on time-worn promises like “those responsible will face the full force of the law” and “my government will provide all necessary support toward this effort.”

The truth is that the Australian authorities have done more talking than acting when it comes to stemming the tide of anti-Semitic attacks in a country that has historically been warm and hospitable to the Jewish community.

“There’s been a lot of words, but words can often be too little, too late,” says Rebbetzin Rachel Gutnick, whose husband, Rabbi David Gutnick, leads the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. “Until now, we never felt like our shul was under threat. It always felt like a very safe place for visitors from around the world. And now suddenly this has changed. I think the politicians who are coming out to meet with my husband are seeing that actually something does have to change. They have to realize that hate speech should not be tolerated when it’s actually inciting violence.”

Many locals stress the importance of distinguishing the political friction between the Australian and Israeli governments — particularly in light of Australia’s critical stance on Israel’s war against Hamas — from the authorities’ treatment of the local Jewish community. That’s the view of Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann of Melbourne’s ARK Centre Jewish community.

“We need to separate a few things here: the Australian government’s stance on Israel, the situation locally, and the undeniable rise in anti-Semitism,” he tells Mishpacha. “It’s important to acknowledge that the Australian government has consistently stood with the local Jewish community. Each time there has been an anti-Semitic attack, they have strongly condemned it. They’ve also committed millions of dollars in increased security funding and other grants to Jewish institutions.”

As an example, Rabbi Kaltmann points to a $30 million government pledge to help rebuild the Adass Israel synagogue after the December 2024 firebombing. “We have to recognize that support too.”

What cannot be denied are the numbers: anti-Semitic attacks in Australia have increased by 400% since October 7. And although authorities launched the so-called “Federal Police Task Force on Antisemitism” following the December arson attack on Adass Israel, the violence still smolders. In January alone, there were six serious cases, including the burning of vehicles in Jewish neighborhoods, anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed on several synagogues, and individuals threatening congregants outside Shabbos services.

The most infamous case, before the recent wave of attacks, involved two nurses at a Sydney hospital who uploaded videos to social media in which they threatened to kill Jewish patients and vowed not to treat them. (It’s worth noting that the two were later dismissed from their positions.)

What is also undeniable is that tensions have escalated since October 7. “We’d always felt, up to October 7, completely safe,” says Rebbetzin Gutnick. “We walk around freely Jewish. Everyone’s understanding, everyone’s supportive, it’s completely peaceful. Since October 7, things have become less comfortable. There’s protesters, demonstrations, a lot of hate speech everywhere.”

Rebbetzin Rachel Gutnick is still shaken as she describes her congregation’s narrow escape from the Friday night attack.

“Always, after the Shabbos service, we receive people and hold a seudah in the back of the shul,” she explains. “Students from nearby universities, families, tourists. This week we had around 20 people, including my family and another family with young children. After the service, some people leave, and then the doors in front get locked. We go to the back, make Kiddush, and start our meal. I put out the main course. Two little kids were playing in the shul, and one of my kids was right at the front, near the shul office.

“And then the doorbell rings. Now, when the doorbell rings, we check the security cameras. My 13-year-old son was sitting right at the front, and thank G-d he didn’t just go open the door. He looked at the screen and saw he didn’t know this person, and he kind of felt like things were a bit off. The guy was waiting outside there. He had stuff with him, which we didn’t know at the time. He was hoping someone would open the door so that he could inflict more damage.

“My husband then goes to the door, and he starts seeing there’s smoke coming through. The man just kind of threw the Molotov cocktail and left. My son could see fire underneath the door, and the smoke is filling up fast, so my husband starts running back.

“Thank G-d, a passerby outside called the fire brigade, and they came very, very quickly. The fire was put out, and the fire department did what they could to air out the shul and all that. Then police came very quickly. And then it just kind of got a bit hectic, with more and more people coming and seeing what happened. It was all on the news right away.”

Nevertheless, Rebbetzin Gutnick points out: “Even non-Jewish people have been calling the shul, like this woman that I spoke to. She was in tears on the phone, saying, ‘I just want you to know that this is not how the majority of Australians feel. We are with you, and we support you, and we want you to be safe.’ ”

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1069)