Car torched, buildings vandalised in Sydney’s east

Earlier, an emotional MP for Vaucluse, Kellie Sloane, said the incident had left her community feeling shaken and under attack.

Sloane was among several politicians, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to express their outrage after the attack, which follows the announcement on Monday of a new AFP antisemitism task force, Operation Avalite, to investigate threats and violence towards the Australian Jewish community.

In the latest Woollahra incident, antisemitic slogans, including “Kill Israiel” [sic], were graffitied across two buildings on Magney Street.

A vehicle on the same street was set alight, with Fire and Rescue NSW attending the scene about 1am to extinguish the blaze. This vehicle and one other were also graffitied.

NSW Police are hunting for two young people, aged between 15 and 20 years old, described as of a slim build. The pair were seen near the scene wearing face coverings and dark clothing.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the incident as “an outrage” and said there was “no place for hatred or antisemitism in our community”.

“I will be briefed by Operation Avalite officials this morning,” he said in a post on X. “I stand with the Jewish community and unequivocally condemn this attack.”

In a statement, NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the “cowardly, antisemitic attacks strike at the heart of our society”.

“We need not just the full force of the law but every other ounce of resolve to root out this hatred,” he said. “Our communities deserve nothing less.”

‘Upset and anger’

Speaking in Woollahra, Sloane said two similar attacks in the space of a few weeks felt like a “pattern of intimidation and hatred against a community that is trying to go about their everyday lives”.

“People are both deeply upset and emotional, and there are people in tears that I’ve spoken to this morning,” she said.

“There are also people expressing incredible anger, anger that this continues to happen.”

President of Woollahra’s Emanuel synagogue, Grant McCorquodale, said the attack had left people “genuinely scared” and fearful about “what is going to happen next”.

“This is a beautiful suburb, a beautiful part of Sydney, and the whole suburb has been desecrated,” he said. “Every neighbour, everyone in Woollahra, is just sick of it. Every Australian is sick of it.”

Chris Minns spoke to Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, earlier on Wednesday morning. In a post to X, Maimon said Minns was “committed to fighting antisemitism and safeguarding the Jewish community in NSW”.

“Yesterday, I visited the charred remains of the Adass Israel synagogue,” he wrote. “This morning, another despicable attack targeting Jews in Woollahra.”

“This rising tide of antisemitism must end now.”

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Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the Jewish community had again woken to “scenes of terror and devastation”.

“More burning cars and broken glass. Another act intended to terrorise us, drive us from our country and make our fellow Australians fearful of associating with us,” he said, adding that he expected the AFP’s new antisemitism taskforce “to bring the perpetrators swiftly to justice”.

Just under three weeks ago, buildings and vehicles in Woollahra were targeted in a similar attack.

Two men wearing masks and hoodies were captured on CCTV running from the scene, where a ute was set on fire, multiple cars damaged, and Matt Moran’s Chiswick restaurant and other buildings were graffitied with anti-Israel messages.

Two men were arrested and charged and are due to make further court appearances.