A Sydney suburb kindergarten was set on fire and defaced with antisemitic graffiti late Monday in what Australian Jewish groups suspected to be arson and vandalism motivated by antisemitism.
The New South Wales Police Force said that they were investigating a suspicious fire at a Maroubra childcare center that had caused extensive damage to the building. Local sources said that there were signs of forced entry and that the fire had started within the building.
The kindergarten was not a Jewish community facility, but local sources said that there was antisemitic graffiti on the premises. Police said in their statement that offensive graffiti was spray-painted on an external wall, and the official statement indicated that law enforcement was treating the incident as a hate crime. A photograph published by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Ryvchin appeared to display part of an antisemitic slogan that had been graffitied at recent antisemitic arson and vandalism incidents in the city.
Responses by Australian Jewry
The Australian Jewish Association said on X/Twitter that the incident occurred near a synagogue. Some believe that due to the proximity of a synagogue, vandals may have been seeking to target a nearby Jewish kindergarten attached to that house of worship.
The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies called the incident an “antisemitic firebombing” that was intended to harass and intimidate Jewish Australians as part of “a campaign of domestic terrorism.
“By targeting a childcare centre, these depraved and cowardly terrorists are issuing another ominous threat against our community and every peace-loving Australian,” the board said in a statement. “These terrorists must be urgently apprehended, or we will continue to see an escalation of these acts of terror.”
Ryvchin said on social media that fire-bombing a childcare center “requires a depth of savagery that is difficult to imagine.”
“Today, families will be having conversations about whether it’s safe to send their children to the places where they should be safest,” said Ryvchin. “Places of worship, homes, and now pre-schools have all been targeted by domestic terrorists. Antisemitism consumes everything. It is the disease that is destroying our country. We need a national cabinet to deal with what is a national emergency.”
Wave of antisemitism in Australia’s largest city
Sydney has seen a wave of antisemitic arson and vandalism incidents, escalating in pace in recent weeks. In Dover Heights on Friday, two cars were set on fire, and multiple more graffitied with antisemitic slogans, including “f**k Jews.” The former home of Ryvchin was splashed with paint in the same incident.
Last Saturday, vandals graffitied and attempted to set alight the Newtown Synagogue. The day before, the Southern Synagogue was vandalized. A Queens Park home, five cars, and a trailer were also defaced, with graffiti on the house again reading “f**k Jews.” On January 6, a car was graffitied in the same suburb with the words “F**k the Jews.”
A 34-year-old Liverpool woman was arrested by NSW police on Monday for her alleged involvement in a December 11 Woollahra area incident in which a vehicle was set afire in an antisemitic incident. The destroyed vehicle and another car, two buildings, and a footpath were vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. On Tuesday, she is set to face court for charges, including participating in a criminal group to contribute criminal activity and accessory before the fact to destroy or damage property.
The NSW Jewish Board on Monday welcomed another arrest in response to the wave of vandalism. The police action followed the Thursday arrest of a 21-year-old man for involvement in a November 21 Woollahra arson that destroyed one car and damaged another. Nine other vehicles were also allegedly graffitied, as well as three buildings.
In response to the kindergarten fire, AJA charged on social media that the ruling Labor federal government was responsible for the rise in antisemitism in the country.
“For the first time ever, Australia has a widespread, evil, out-of-control campaign of antisemitic violence,” said AJA.
At a Monday press conference, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected remarks by Israeli officials that antisemitic attacks in the country had been caused in part by the Australian government’s policies toward Israel. Albanese said that the country voted at the United Nations in line with 158 other states.
“We voted for a ceasefire that is now in place,” said Albanese. “We wanted to see hostages released, and I welcome the fact that today, the hostages have begun to be released. And we voted in favor of aid for people in Gaza, which is going to flow more freely. That’s what Australia put forward.”
Albanese also promised to take strong action against antisemitic incidents, but didn’t commit to matching a party platform by opposition leader Peter Dutton to legislate six years mandatory jail time for attacks a place of worship. The prime minister said that he convened meetings with the NSW and Victoria state governments the previous week and noted that a Sydney area man was charged Thursday for allegedly making death threats to Jewish organization members in the first arrest as part of the special operation launched in response to escalating antisemitism.
The Australian Federal Police Avalite Special Operation Task Force was formed on December 9 in the wake of the arson terrorist attack against Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue.
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