Anti-Israel activists hung a large banner reading “Sanction Israel” across the entrance of the Great Synagogue in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday. Jewish leaders swiftly condemned the act as blatant antisemitism.
The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies stated in a post on X, “Let’s be clear — targeting a synagogue is pure, unadulterated antisemitism which is intended to have a chilling and intimidating effect on members of the Synagogue and the Jewish community more broadly.”
“Despicable conduct such as this is completely antithetical to our Australian way of life. Places of worship are sacred and should be places of safety, refuge, and comfort,” the board added.
Located in the heart of Sydney, the Great Synagogue was built in 1878, making it the oldest Jewish place of worship in the city. The synagogue’s president, David Lewis, expressed his dismay to J-Wire, saying he was “shocked and disappointed” by the act. “To see a place that is so pivotal for the Sydney Jewish community being deliberately targeted by protesters and damaged through acts of vandalism is not only upsetting; it is totally unacceptable,” he said.
Lewis emphasized that any faith’s place of worship “is not a place where it is appropriate to promote a political agenda or be targeted for protests. No matter the political climate, our community deserves to feel safe within our place of worship without fear.”
Prominent international human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky shared his personal connection to the synagogue, stating, “This is deeply personal. This was my Synagogue in Sydney, The Great Synagogue, the oldest in Australia, where I had my Bar-Mitzvah & went for High Holidays. To target a place of worship in such a manner, with a political attack on Israel, is repugnant & just unhinged Jew-hatred.”
Antisemitism has surged in Australia since Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw terrorists crossing the border into Israel, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages. Shortly after, Jewish Australians holding a vigil outside the Sydney Opera House faced antisemitic pro-Palestinian protesters who chanted “F*** the Jews” and “Gas the Jews,” although law enforcement later claimed they were chanting, “Where’re the Jews.”
In response to the rising antisemitism, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appointed an envoy last week to address the issue. Jillian Segal, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, will serve as the antisemitism envoy for three years, working with communities and Albanese to combat the stark rise in antisemitism in Australia.