Jewish women were pelted with eggs in the Sydney area on Saturday in an attack that coincided with a weekend wave of antisemitic vandalism of homes in the New South Wales capital, Perth, and Melbourne.
Jewish women were egged by men riding in a car at Bondi Beach on Saturday, according to statements by the NSW Police Force and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. Detective Superintendent Darren Newman said Sunday that it appeared that the victims were targeted because of their appearance.
The vehicle was found Saturday night with a petrol can and egg cartons inside after it had crashed into a curb in Rose Bay, according to police. Three men were seen fleeing the scene.
The NSW Jewish board said in a Sunday statement that the incident was a "grotesque and depraved" antisemitic attack.
"Throwing eggs at innocent women simply because they're Jewish is beyond contemptible," the board said.
The Australian Jewish Association said on X Sunday that the attack directly on Jewish people represented an escalation from attacks on buildings and cars.
Homes and vehicles were defaced with antisemitic graffiti over Saturday night in the Kingsford and Randwick Sydney suburbs, according to statements by the NSW Jewish Board and NSW Police Force. Police said that multiple vehicles, garages, and walls had been spray-painted.
As with other recent antisemitic vandalism incidents, the graffiti proclaimed "F*k [sic] Jews," according to photographs published by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin and AJA.
Israeli ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon denounced the incident on X, describing it as an "ongoing barrage of attacks" and "deliberate intimidation" against Jews.
A man was arrested in Kingsford on Friday, according to police, for allegedly defacing a wall with "a number of drawings and writings, including a Nazi symbol and a swastika."
The 37-year-old was charged for public display of a Nazi symbol in violation of a 2024 federal law.
The Perth suburb Dalkeith saw a home vandalized with antisemitic graffiti on Saturday, according to statements by Western Australia Premier Roger Cook and Curtin MP Kate Chaney.
Cook promised on Facebook Sunday that the Western Australia Police Force would "hunt down and charge those cowards responsible." Chaney said in a statement that she would liaise with the Australian Federal Police, state police, and the Jewish community to address the issue.
AJA shared photographs on social media of the same slogan used in incidents on the other side of the continent alongside a Nazi swastika.
"The graffiti we have seen in parts of Perth overnight is absolutely vile," said Cook. "I stand with Western Australia’s Jewish community and offer my full support to all those affected by these cowardly actions."
Chaney also expressed that the behavior was not representative of the community and assured that "people in my community believe everyone should be treated with respect."
A Melbourne area home was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti on Friday evening, according to a Sunday statement by Port Phillip Mayor Louise Crawford. The Melbourne suburb's municipality dispatched a team to remove the graffiti from the Middle Park home.
"While, thankfully, this incident did not involve physical injuries, it is still a cowardly attack targeting Port Phillip’s Jewish community," Crawford said. "Port Phillip celebrates and values its diverse community. An attack on any group is an attack on our City’s long-standing value of inclusion for all."
The mayor noted that the Melbourne Jewish community was still recovering from the December arson attack against the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea.
The Sydney area incidents were part of a spate of antisemitic vandalism and arson incidents that have targeted the Jewish community in recent weeks, including Wednesday's vandalism of a Maroubra Jewish day school and nearby home, an Eastgardens shopping center, and another incident in Eastlakes.
The NSW Jewish Board said Sunday that there had been 10 publicly reported antisemitic incidents of vandalism, arson, and more in just three weeks. The board claimed, "That doesn't include the graffiti appearing in our streets on a daily basis or the abuse and harassment that goes unreported."
"It is incumbent upon society as a whole not to become desensitized to this campaign of domestic terrorism. This is not normal. This isn't the Australia we know and love," said the board. "The Jewish community is not asking for any special treatment -- only a return to normality."
The NSW Police Force announced on Saturday that the January 21 doubling of manpower for Strike Force Pearl had come into effect. The task force, created in December to address antisemitic crimes in the Sydney area, deployed an additional 20 investigators. Operation Shelter, established in October 2023 to tackle Sydney's antisemitic hate crimes, was also announced as folding under the wing of Pearl.
“Children shouldn’t feel scared to go to school, people shouldn’t feel afraid to go to prayer or practice their religion," NSW Police Force Commissioner Karen Webb said in a Saturday statement. “The extra investigators under Strike Force Pearl means those who commit antisemitic acts will be caught and brought before the courts. I want to reassure the Jewish community that we will do everything we can to find the perpetrators of these hateful crimes."
Webb said that 37,000 taskings have been undertaken by Operation Shelter since the October 7 Massacre. A total of 10 people have been charged under Strike Force Pearl.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a Friday press briefing that Australian law enforcement was being given everything they required and requested to address antisemitic crime in the country.
"I say that my heart goes out to you, and we are doing all that we can," said Albanese.
Chikli's letter
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli issued a letter to the Australian Jewish community on Thursday, praising their resilience in the face of the wave of vandalism and a foiled potential antisemitic terrorist attack involving an explosives-filled caravan found on January 19.
"Please know that we are following closely the alarming rise in antisemitism across Australia. On behalf of the government and citizens of Israel, we send you our love, support, and unwavering solidarity," said Chikli. "It is truly inspiring to witness the strength and resilience of the Australian Jewish community in the face of rising antisemitism."