A shocking act of anti-Semitic vandalism in Sydney's eastern suburbs has drawn condemnation from Australia's Prime Minister and left local Jewish residents in tears, marking the latest in a series of hate crimes targeting the Jewish community. Between Sunday morning and early Monday, vandals spray-painted "F*** the Jews" on a white car parked in Queens Park, a neighborhood with a significant Jewish population.
The car's owner, Stuart Veron, who isn't Jewish, called the perpetrators "rats" and described the vandalism as "madness." His Jewish neighbor, Sharon Greenberg, discovered the graffiti after her daughter spotted it during a walk. "It's like a cricket bat that just hits your head," Greenberg said, "it's just shock that it's here... finally come outside your front door."
This incident follows a disturbing pattern of escalating antisemitic violence in Australia, including masked individuals who broke through a window into the central study hall of Adass Israel Synagogue, poured gasoline throughout the synagogue, and set it on fire. The two fled the scene, and firefighters were called to extinguish the fire. Unfortunately, the synagogue was completely burned down.
In Sydney's Woollahra area alone, recent weeks have seen multiple buildings vandalized with anti-Israel slogans, cars set ablaze, and homes defaced with misspelled threats to "Kill Israiel."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced the attack, declaring "Anti-Semitism is a scourge" and emphasizing such targeting "is not the Australian values that I hold dear." NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip expressed alarm that "Australians are having to go to bed fearful that their cars or properties will be defaced overnight with anti-Semitic hate speech."
Local resident Yvonne Strasser, brought to tears by the incident, offered a chilling perspective: "This is how it starts."
Local police have launched an investigation, with officials declaring it an antisemitic hate crime. Police are searching for two suspects in their 20s, who were seen fleeing the scene wearing masks and beanies.
ABC News (Australia) contributed to this article.
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