Antisemitic vandals target Jewish homes, cars in Sydney

By World Israel News Staff

Antisemitic messages were spraypainted on numerous residences, garages, and vehicles in a heavily Jewish neighborhood of Sydney overnight Saturday, marking the latest in a string of antisemitic incidents that have swept Australia since the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel.

Pictures circulating on social media Sunday morning showed “f– Jews” and other derogatory statements spraypainted on property in Kingsford and Randwick, two eastern Sydney neighborhoods with sizeable Jewish populations.

“Officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command attended See Street, Kingsford and King Lane, Randwick, after reports multiple vehicles, garages and walls had been damaged with offensive graffiti overnight,” local police said in a media statement.

“Crime scenes have been established at both locations, and investigations have commenced.”

Local Jewish leaders sounded the alarm about the incident, which came just days after Sydney police discovered a trailer packed with explosives.The trailer contained a list of Jewish sites, which appeared to be targets for bombing, along with hateful notes about Jews.

“This is not normal. This isn’t the Australia we know and love,” NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip told the Australian Jewish News.

“There have been more than 10 publicly reported serious incidents of antisemitic vandalism, arson, and worse in the last three weeks alone – a figure that doesn’t include the graffiti appearing on our streets on a daily basis or the abuse and harassment that goes unreported,” Ossip added.

In December, Adass Israel, Melbourne’s oldest and largest synagogue, was subjected to an arson attack.One person was injured, sustaining minor injuries to his hands in the blaze, according to local media reports.