Man charged over antisemitic graffiti spree at Melbourne synagogue

A man has been charged with more than 20 offences following a string of antisemitic graffiti attacks at the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in South Yarra earlier this year.

The 37-year-old South Yarra resident was arrested by Victoria Police on Monday and charged in relation to six separate incidents of criminal damage at the Toorak Road synagogue. The attacks occurred in March, June and most recently on August 19.

In several of the incidents, the synagogue’s exterior was defaced with politically charged slogans, including “Free Palestine,” “Iran is Da Bomb,” and “War Crimes,” often spray-painted in large red lettering.

Some of the graffiti incorporated the Star of David, while others featured a stylised mushroom cloud. CCTV footage released by police earlier this month showed a man arriving alone at the synagogue on a black e-scooter. In two of the July incidents, he appeared in a long coat and wore a full-face mask resembling the one from the horror film Scream.

Detectives executed a search warrant at the man’s home on Monday morning and seized several items allegedly linked to the vandalism. The man was later charged with six counts of criminal damage, six counts of marking offensive graffiti, five counts of using an unregistered motor vehicle, five counts of unlicensed driving, and one count of failing to stop when directed by police. He was granted bail and is expected to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 21 November.

 

Melbourne Hebrew Congregation’s rabbi, Shlomo Nathanson, welcomed the arrest and thanked the officers involved. “Whilst there was a limited resource to put on the case, they certainly have brought about justice with the outcome here,” Rabbi Nathanson told The Australian.

He said the congregation had been shaken by the repeated attacks but hoped the charges would serve as a deterrent to others. “In this very heightened tension in the political arena that we’re feeling across the community, we’re happy that the law of the land and justice can be carried out,” he said.

“The laws that are in place to prevent hateful, discriminatory lawlessness like we’ve seen at the Melbourne Hebrew Synagogue and at other places of worship and Jewish sites across the state, that justice will be served there.”

Rabbi Nathanson added that he hoped Australians could return to a culture of civility, fairness and mutual respect. “Our hope is certainly that we can correct the path and get back to a space of mutual respect, a fair go for all, like the Australian values, rather than the hatred and the lawlessness that we’ve experienced since October 7.”

Victoria Police stated that the incidents had not only affected the Jewish community but had also cause

d concern among the wider public. Inspector Martin McLean confirmed police

had increased patrols around the synagogue and other Jewish sites in response to community fears.

The arrest comes amid a wave of antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish institutions in Victoria. Just last week, a second man was charged over the December 2024 arson attack that destroyed part of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea.

The repeated targeting of Jewish places of worship has fuelled calls for stronger protective measures and a firmer response to hate crimes. Community leaders have warned that the rising number of antisemitic attacks in the wake of the October 7 Hamas massacre reflects a deeply troubling trend that must be urgently addressed.