The arson and explosive squad is investigating the shocking attack in the suburb of Ripponlea, the heart of Melbourne’s Jewish community in the city’s inner east. Two suspects in dark clothing and masks were reported being seen at the synagogue about 4am.
In an address to the Central Synagogue in Bondi on Friday night, Minns said he was “heartbroken” by the recent acts of antisemitism, saying those events had shaken the promise that the Jewish community would be safe in Australia after “centuries of horrifying violence”.
“All of this has meant that many Jewish Australians, for the first time in their lives, feel unsafe in their home, in their place, in their community,” he said.
“I have to say it’s disgusting that an aged survivor of the Holocaust would feel unsafe in their own community.”
As part of an escalating dispute with the federal Labor government, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked the attack on the Melbourne synagogue with Australia’s position on the Middle East conflict.