Sat Jan 11 06:36:46 UTC 2025: ## Sydney Synagogues Targeted in Fresh Wave of Anti-Semitic Attacks
**Sydney, Australia –** Two Sydney synagogues have been vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti in a disturbing escalation of anti-Jewish hate crimes across Australia. The latest incidents, which involved swastikas sprayed on a city synagogue and anti-Semitic slurs painted on a private home, follow a similar attack on a Southern Sydney Synagogue just a day earlier. Police have established a special task force to investigate these acts.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attacks, stating that such criminal activity has “no place” in Australia’s multicultural society. NSW Premier Chris Minns echoed this sentiment, calling the acts “monstrous and appalling.”
These attacks are part of a wider trend of rising anti-Semitism in Australia over the past year, including previous incidents of vandalism and a Melbourne synagogue arson attack classified as terrorism. The recent surge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents is attributed, in part, to the escalating conflict between Hamas and Israel.
While the government has established a federal task force to combat anti-Semitism following the Melbourne arson, some Jewish organizations express concerns that insufficient action has been taken. The incidents have also strained relations with Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing the Australian government of indirectly encouraging such attacks through perceived anti-Israel policies. Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus firmly rejected these claims, reaffirming Australia’s strong and longstanding friendship with Israel. The investigation into the recent Sydney attacks is ongoing.
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