Children and families forced to run for their lives after busy synagogue set alight by arsonists in Melbourne
A group of about 20 people had to flee when a man doused the front of the temple in a flammable liquid and set it alight about 8pm on Friday, Victoria Police said.
East Melbourne Synagogue president Danny Segal and his wife Jenny were among those inside enjoying Shabbat dinner at the time.
'Somebody saw smoke coming and some passers-by rang the bell and said there's something going on,' he told reporters on Saturday morning.
Everyone inside evacuated safely and firefighters stopped the flames from spreading.
Ms Segal said he was worried about what might have happened had the attacker gotten inside.
He said the incident frightened the children.
'They were pretty scared because they felt our fear and our shock,' he said.
A group of about 20 people had to flee when a man doused the front of the temple in a flammable liquid and set it alight about 8pm on Friday, Victoria Police said
Investigators are still working to establish the motivation and circumstances surrounding the fire.
'There is absolutely no place in our society for anti-Semitic or hate-based behaviour,' a police spokesperson said.
The synagogue, one of Australia's oldest, is close to Victoria's parliament in the heart of the city.
The suspect was last seen fleeing down Albert Street towards the CBD.
A short time later, protesters gathered outside Israeli restaurant Miznon on nearby Hardware Lane.
Police said about 20 of them shouted 'offensive chants' and were directed to leave the area.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said anti-Semitic terror had returned as a mob chanted 'death to the IDF', which stands for Israel Defence Forces.
'These events are a severe escalation directed towards our community and clear evidence that the anti-Semitism crisis is not only continuing but getting worse,' Mr Ryvchin said.
Rabbi Dovid Gutnick (left) and Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece outside of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Melbourne on Saturday
Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich said the diners were terrorised.
'Melbourne, for one night, stopped being a safe place for Jews,' he said.
One person was arrested for hindering police and several others were spoken to by investigators.
The force said it supported the right of Victorians to protest peacefully but would not tolerate 'anti-social and violent behaviour'.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that the attack happened on Shabbat made it more abhorrent.
'This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards,' she said.
Opposition frontbencher David Southwick called for greater action to stop people filled with hate who 'hijack our streets'.
'Enough talk. The perpetrators and organisers must be found and brought to justice,' he said.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece visited the synagogue and spoke with senior members on Saturday morning.
He condemned the events and said Melbourne was a city of peace and tolerance despite the terrible events.
'Nothing that we are doing here in Melbourne is going to have any impact on the terrible events in Israel and Gaza and so we do need to ask ourselves, how do we keep ourselves together as a community?' he said.
The incidents come seven months after a devastating fire at the Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea, in the city's south.
Two of the synagogue's three buildings were destroyed in the early morning blaze, which also forced members of the congregation to flee.
No charges have been laid, although counter-terrorism police have raided multiple properties as part of that investigation.
The latest attacks also follow disagreement between Australia's special envoy to combat anti-Semitism and NSW MPs over a call to ban pro-Palestine protests from city centres.
Jillian Segal gave evidence to a parliamentary inquiry examining anti-Semitism in Sydney on Friday and was pressed on her previous statements labelling the weekly demonstrations 'intimidatory' and 'sinister'.
Labor MP Stephen Lawrence suggested her comments were an 'uncivil way to describe them and the people participating'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The chilling moment Lisa realised her cop lover was using the state's CCTV cameras to SPY on her: 'Wave to the cameras - I'm watching you'
A Victoria Police officer has been stood down from normal duties and moved to a different unit after his ex-girlfriend accused him of using state CCTV to stalk her. Lisa Lewis, 43, claims 'Jack', 42, (name changed for legal reasons) used his official access to live footage across the state to secretly spy on her during nights out. Lisa says she realised what was happening after a series of disturbing texts from him commenting on her outfits and telling her to 'wave' at the cameras. The couple first met on Tinder in November 2024 and soon went on a date where Jack wined and dined her at a ritzy five-star restaurant. Ms Lewis admitted she had reservations about meeting up with him because he was in the police, but said: 'Jack went to a lot of effort. 'I was attracted to him, he was tall and I liked that, and our life goals like marriage and so forth aligned.' But five months later, they split up after she became spooked by a series of 'creepy' comments and she realised she was being spied on. She was in the car park of a hotel on her way into a ritzy gala dinner with a friend when she received a chilling text which read simply: 'Nice white sneakers.' Lisa Lewis was in the car park of a hotel on her way into a ritzy gala dinner (pictured) with a friend when she received a chilling text which read simply: 'Nice white sneakers' 'I was so confused because I hadn't sent him a photo,' Ms Lewis told Daily Mail Australia. 'And then he said, 'Look up - CCTV. Wave! I'm watching you on the cameras. 'I kind of laughed, not because it was funny, but as a nervous thing. I actually thought that's kind of creepy. 'I drive a manual so I had put my sneakers on under my dress instead of heels, and it made me think if he is watching me now, where else is he watching me? 'Is he watching me when I go for a drive in Geelong? Because there were times I felt like he was expecting me when I turned up at his house.' When the couple met up after the gala ball, Ms Lewis says she told Jack how she was worried she'd be running late because of red traffic lights. But her blood ran cold when he replied he knew because he had been 'watching her'. She claims Jack then showed her CCTV videos on his phone of her driving the same evening. The couple ended their relationship not long after. Ms Lewis made an official complaint to his bosses about his behaviour, but now fears police chiefs are not taking it seriously. 'When we broke up, I specifically told him to stop watching me on CCTV,' Ms Lewis told Daily Mail Australia. 'He shouldn't be doing it anyway, but especially now we are not together. 'We had constantly talked about it, and I was always thinking, if he is watching me then who else is he watching? 'And then he denied it, which made me so angry because that puts my honesty and integrity into question. It infuriated me and that's why I reported it. 'I am worried investigators will believe a police officer with 18 years of experience over someone like me. 'But the evidence is clear-cut and there is no reason for the police not to be pursuing this matter.' Ms Lewis says the relationship progressed quickly with Jack 'showering' her with gifts and sharing information about his work life Ms Lewis fears her colourful past, some of which has played out in headlines, could be undermining her complaint to authorities. In 2006, the New Zealander ran onto the field wearing a bikini during a rugby Test match between the All Blacks and Ireland in Hamilton, New Zealand. She was escorted off the field by security and gained nationwide fame for her stunt, later selling the green bikini for more than $4000. Since then Lewis has been in the centre of numerous quirky stories including running for mayor and being a naked newsreader. In August 2023, she also accused Northern Territory Police of discrimination after she claimed they rejected her bid to become a cop because of her past employment as a sex worker. She had confessed about her sex work past to Jack when they first hooked up. 'On our first date I was very honest about my life and what I do for a living,' she said. 'I am a sex worker so I wanted him to know that. 'He said that he had seen a lot being a police officer so me being a sex worker didn't bother him.' Ms Lewis says the relationship progressed quickly with Jack 'showering' her with gifts and sharing information about his work life. 'Jack would call me up to six hours a day on his personal phone when working undercover surveillance following targets in his unmarked police car,' Lewis said. 'Once he showed me a hidden camera that looked like a rock, and another time he pulled up CCTV on his phone and said, "Let's see how busy town is tonight."' On April 9, Ms Lewis reported Jack to the police for unprofessional behaviour and stalking her. 'I am incredibly frustrated that he put me in this position,' she added. 'He left me no choice to do what I did. 'He should never have told me he had access to all CCTV cameras in Victoria because that would cause any person to question their trust, especially if they had been watched at other times. 'He was in surveillance and is very good with technology - he set up my TV at home, had access to my phone and my passwords. 'I am still worried he may be monitoring me somehow, and I think the public would like to know where their tax money is going.' Ms Lewis says as far as she is aware, Jack is still working as a police officer but claims he told her that he had been stood down from the surveillance department while her allegations are investigated. Victoria Police confirmed to told Daily Mail Australia: 'A leading senior constable from a specialist unit has been transferred to other duties following allegations he misused police information. 'As the matter is under investigation by the Professional Standards Command, it is not appropriate to comment further.'
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Five dead in horror day as road toll hits record high in one Australian state
Motorists have been urged to take care after five tragic deaths within 24 hours on West Australia roads. The state's road toll currently stands at 103 lives lost so far in 2025 - the highest figure in a decade and 10 more than this time last year. That figure will rise when the Road Safety Commission updates the road toll after this weekend. WA Police Road Policing Commander Mike Peters and the state's Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner are frustrated with the mounting death toll. They hope the latest tragedies will be a wake-up to motorists as the July school holidays get underway. ' That's five people that won't be at Christmas this year and five doors that had to be knocked on by our officers in the WA Police Force to make those absolutely tragic notifications,' Commissioner Peters said. 'I just want to reiterate speed, seatbelts, fatigue, alcohol and drugs and distraction remain to be over-represented in all these crashes. 'I'm not talking about the five [recent fatalities] specifically, but road deaths to this point are over-represented with those five factors.' Several fatal crashes across claimed five lives within 24 hours across WA late last week. The first incident claimed the life of a motorcyclist, 70 who collided with a tow truck at an intersection in Australind, in the state's south-west on Thursday afternoon. A man, 40, died after colliding with a truck towing three tailers at Mariginiup, north of Perth on Friday. Just 30 minutes later, a third motorist collided with a 51-year-old pedestrian, killing him instantly, in east Perth's Mundaring. Later on Friday morning, a fourth man died when his 4WD struck a tree and caught alight in Serpentine, in south-east Perth. Several hours later, a female passenger, 64 died after the vehicle she was travelling in vehicle struck a tree in Alfred Cove. 'It's incredibly frustrating that we have these sustained levels of deaths on our roads,' Mr Warner said. 'We need to be conscious about the risks on the road. We need to be conscious about the choices we make when we get behind the wheel.' West Australia's government has set a goal for the state to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on its roads by 50 to 70 per cent before 2030. 'Population growth and the economic growth, which is good for our community and good for WA, is putting upward pressure on the road toll,' Mr Warner said. Cameras with AI technology have been installed at more than 100 locations across Perth. These cameras are the most advanced in the country and are currently in a trial phase, the government has said. Fines generated by the cameras are expected to kick in by October. 'When we move into enforcement mode with these new cameras in a couple of months, we're expecting a big shift in behaviour,' Mr Warner said 'We don't want the money. We want people to change their behaviour and save lives.'
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Carnage breaks out at Portland ICE detention center as woke crowd tries to storm holding cells
Chaos erupted at an ICE detention facility in Portland, Oregon after hundreds of protesters attempted to storm holding cells. Demonstrators were seen being tackled to the ground as officers deployed smoke bombs and tear gas to try and control the crowd yesterday. Dramatic footage posted on X by independent journalist Katie Daviscourt shows flares lighting up the night sky, as protesters clash with officers in riot gear who appeared to fire rubber bullets into the crowd. The demonstration occurred on the 28th day that protesters have been occupying the ICE facility in protest over Donald Trump 's immigration policies. Daviscourt confirmed the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and that several arrests were made. Daily Mail has contacted Portland Police Department for details. The mayhem Friday broke out just hours after the President signed his so-called 'big, beautiful bill' into law - a sweeping $150 billion package that boosts funding for the border wall, ICE enforcement and deportations, while slashing Medicaid. In downtown Portland, protesters staged a dramatic 'die-in' at Pioneer Courthouse Square, two miles from the ICE facility, to protest the brutal Medicaid cuts tucked inside Trump's bill. 'They don't need more money and they're taking money away from things that we really actually need,' protester Mary Vanzant told local CBS affiliate KOIN 6 News. Demonstrators were seen being tackled to the ground as officers deployed smoke bombs and tear gas to try and control the crowd during the July 4 demonstration 'The best thing we can do as the people is keep fighting,' added protester Cortez Williams. Meanwhile, a caravan of demonstrators set off from the South Portland ICE facility to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington in protest at the detention of 54-year-old vineyard worker Moises Sotelo. Sotelo was reportedly snatched by ICE agents outside his church, according to his daughter Alondra Sotelo-Garcia, who confirmed he was transferred to the Washington facility. Sotelo's daughter said that her father disappeared Thursday morning, his truck left parked on the street he drives every day. Fearing the worst, she tracked his phone and discovered he had been taken to the ICE facility in Portland. 'He's a good man, taxpayer, hard working man, proud of what he does, grandpa, dad, uncle,' Alondra said. She rushed to the center and was heartbroken by what she saw: 'I just saw my dad chained at his feet, you know, with a big old smile, still trying to keep his head up for me, more than anybody in that moment.' Alondra declined to discuss her father's immigration status, but said the ordeal has been emotionally devastating. She was still tracking his phone when she learned he was being transferred north to Tacoma. Outside the facility, protesters have since hung a large sign reading: 'Free Moises'. 'When it happens to you, it's a whole different feeling, ordeal, you enter into panic,' Alondra said. 'Just for being brown, even if you're a citizen, you're still at risk.' The office of Congresswoman Andrea Salinas confirmed that two vineyard workers were arrested by ICE agents in Newberg, Oregon on Thursday, though the agency has yet to release their names or provide additional information. Salinas said in a statement: 'There were two targeted ICE arrests of vineyard workers in Newberg. As a part of my Congressional duty, I am meeting with ICE to ensure they maintain the right to due process for all detained individuals. 'I have also spoken at length with Latino leaders in the community to ensure individuals know their rights and how I can support them.'
