Second synagogue in Sydney, Australia defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti

A day after anti-Semitic vandalism at a separate synagogue in the state capital of New South Wales, a synagogue in Sydney was daubed with anti-Semitic graffiti, according to police.

According to police officials, vandals spray painted red swastikas outside the entrance to an inner-city synagogue early on Saturday, while a house in Sydney’s affluent east was daubed with anti-Jewish slurs.

The incident comes a day after a Friday morning attack at the Southern Sydney Synagogue in the Allawah area. Later on Friday, a special police task force was established to look into the incident.

“]There is] no place in Australia, our tolerant multicultural community, for this sort of criminal activity”, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday, referring to the Southern Sydney Synagogue incident.

State Premier Chris Minns remarked, “These people are determined to split our community in two.”

“We will always criticize these depravities for what they are: monstrous and appalling.”

In the past year, there have been numerous anti-Semitic incidents in Australia, including one that was deemed “terrorism” by police, graffiti on buildings and cars in Sydney, and one in Melbourne’s synagogue.

The government was given the task force’s mandate to combat anti-Semitism in response to the December attack at the Melbourne synagogue.

Since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 and Israel started its war on Gaza, there have been more anti-Semitic and anti-Islam incidents there.

Some Jewish organizations claim that the government has not taken sufficient action in response.

The incidents have also strained Australia’s relations with Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Albanese’s Labor Party government of encouraging such attacks with “anti-Israel” policies.

“Unfortunately, this criminal act cannot be separated from the anti-Israel spirit blowing from the Labor government in Australia”, Netanyahu wrote on X in December, referring to the arson attack at a synagogue.

Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who is Jewish, said Netanyahu was “absolutely wrong” to link the attack to government policy.

Dreyfus told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the country’s national broadcaster, “Australia remains as close to Israel as we have been since the Labor government recognized the state of Israel when it was established by the United Nations.”