Second antisemitic attack in 24 hours: Newtown Synagogue defaced
For the second time in as many days, a synagogue in Sydney has been defaced with antisemitic graffiti with swastikas.
Men captured by CCTV at the Southern Sydney Synagogue Image: NSW Police
This time, the Newtown Synagogue in the inner west was the target. This comes just hours after a similar incident at Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah. These horrific acts of vandalism, described by officials and community leaders as deliberate campaigns of hate, have drawn widespread condemnation and calls for stronger action against antisemitism.
NSW Police reported they were alerted to the vandalism at the Georgina Street synagogue around 7:30 am on Saturday. Officers discovered red swastikas defacing the front of the building. Earlier that morning, graffiti had also been reported at a home on Henry Street, Queens Park, and offensive comments were found on a poster on Marrickville Road. Investigations into all incidents are ongoing.
Daubing on the Newtown Synagogue
David Ossip, President of the Jewish Board of Deputies, also condemned the attacks, calling them a deliberate campaign of hate. “It should sicken us all that for the second time in two days, a Jewish place of worship has been targeted,” Ossip said. “No one should think that these are just acts of vandalism. This is a concerted campaign to intimidate, harass, and menace the Jewish community.”
Lynda Ben Menashe, President of the NSW National Council of Jewish Women, expressed her personal distress at the attack on the synagogue her family helped found. “Sydney’s Newtown synagogue, which my mother’s family helped found and in which I grew up, is the latest target of what NSW Premier Chris Minns calls the ‘bastards’ with hate in their hearts,” she said. “Note the addition of the Z (for Zionists) in the middle (of the graffiti), which shows that there is absolutely no distinction now between anti-Zionism and straight-out Jew hatred. This rampant racism on the streets of our cities will surely be an election issue for all Australians, because thinking people know what happens in and to a country when this becomes a daily occurrence.”
Person captured by CCTV at the Souther Sydney Synagogue
Photo: NSW Police
Julian Leeser MP echoed these concerns, warning that attacks on Jewish sites are escalating. “Another day and another attack on a synagogue. This time in Newtown. Sadly, no one is shocked or surprised,” he said. “Newtown is a hotbed of antisemitism. The Greens MP for Newtown, Jenny Leong, is known for invoking a Goebbels trope by claiming Jewish people have tentacles. In recent hours, Ms. Leong has invoked concern about fires in LA but is totally silent about what has happened to a local synagogue in her community.”
Leeser called for a national response to address the rise in antisemitic incidents. “The status quo is not acceptable. National Cabinet should be convened, and serious mandatory penalties resulting in imprisonment put in place across the country for those who target Jewish synagogues, community centres, and communities with antisemitic language and symbols,” he said.
The attack on Newtown Synagogue follows the Southern Sydney Synagogue incident, where swastikas were spray-painted on a synagogue in the early hours of Friday morning. Police have released CCTV footage of two masked individuals believed to be responsible. Authorities have vowed to apprehend and prosecute those involved.
As incidents of antisemitism escalate, calls for decisive action have grown louder. Community leaders and officials stress the urgent need to combat this rising tide of hate and ensure that Australia remains a safe and respectful society for all.
