The Zionist Federation of Australia stated that ‘these attacks orchestrated by Iran were designed not only to terrorise the Australian Jewish community, but to damage the very fabric of Australian society and send shockwaves throughout the world’.

In its statement, the ZFA welcomed the Government’s decisive response to expel the Iranian Ambassador, “who for too long has been permitted to promote Tehran’s propaganda and contribute to antisemitic vilification in Australia; and the decision to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation in Australia.”

President Jeremy Leibler said, “The Government’s actions today send a powerful and principled message that terrorism, foreign interference, and hate have no place in Australia.

The IRGC has for decades orchestrated violence and directed and funded extremist networks well beyond Iran’s borders. Today’s announcement proves what we have long warned that Iran’s malign reach extends into western democracies, including here in Australia. The firebombing of the Adass Synagogue is a chilling example of how Iranian state actors have sought to export antisemitism, destabilise Australian society, and endanger lives. The listing of the IRGC is a necessary step to ensure that terrorism is not given a foothold on Australian soil.”

ZFA CEO, Alon Cassuto, added: “Just weeks ago, well-known Australians, including Craig Foster, Mary Kostakidis, and Julian Assange, as well as current and former Members of Parliament, including Ed Husic MP, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, and Bob Carr, were pictured proudly standing in front of a photo of the current Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Despite these chilling revelations, the Australian Jewish community has never been stronger, and we’ve never been prouder to be Jewish.”

The ZFA thanked the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, and State Police agencies for their efforts to investigate and disrupt these threats.

In Sydney, the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies said that the Iranian regime was responsible for the attacks on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney and the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne is chilling and deeply concerning.

The ECAJ thanked the men and women of the AFP, ASIO, and state police forces for their single-minded focus and dedication to investigating these attacks, bringing the perpetrators to justice.

President Daniel Aghion stated: “These attacks instigated by the Iranian regime are an attack on our nation and our sovereignty. As Australians, we are outraged that a foreign actor perpetrated acts of terror on our soil. Foremost, these were attacks that deliberately targeted Jewish Australians, destroyed a sacred house of worship, caused millions of dollars of damage, and terrified our community.

For many years, we have warned of the threat posed by the Iranian regime. This is not a regime that merely subjugates its own citizens and wages war in the Middle East through its proxies. The organ of the regime directly responsible for this is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is entirely appropriate for it to now be proscribed as a terrorist organisation.

Israel’s enemies are Australia’s enemies. This is apparent. The same regime that helped plan the October 7 atrocities, directed Hezbollah to open a second front against Israel, attacked Israel directly with ballistic missiles and threatened it with nuclear annihilation, is responsible for plotting and executing attacks against Australians.

The Iranian regime has demonstrated that antisemitism is a threat not only to the Jews, it is a threat to civilisation.

President David Ossip said: “These incidents were nothing less than an attack on Australia by a foreign state, primarily targeting the Jewish community and designed to unravel our social cohesion by legitimising and normalising attacks on the Jewish community.

The Director-General of ASIO has also stated that Iran was likely pulling the strings in relation to other local antisemitic attacks and we look forward to learning more about the full extent of Iran’s malign activities.

Those who sought to downplay the threat against the Jewish community or dismiss the campaign of terror targeting our community as a criminal con-job or hoax owe the Jewish community an apology.

Our community firstly had to endure a summer of terror and then had salt rubbed in our collective wound through gaslighting and equivocation from some quarters about the extent of the threat. These were serious antisemitic attacks on the Jewish community and there should be no further equivocation.

The Government has taken the right and appropriate steps in proscribing the IRGC and expelling Iranian diplomats based in Australia.

The Iranian-Australian community in Australia, most of whom despise the despotic Iranian regime and fled from its tyrannical reach, should not be held responsible for the acts of the regime.

Executive director of The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, Dr Colin Rubenstein, added: ” AIJAC has long warned such Iranian involvement was a possibility that should be taken seriously. But it is nonetheless a shock to see that possibility confirmed. As the Prime Minister said, this was a ‘direct assault on Australian democracy and Jewish life’ by a foreign government.