Jews in Australia up security, conceal identity after spate of anti-Semitic attacks

SYDNEY – Jewish students in Sydney returned to school on Jan 31 with a heightened security presence, days after the police said they foiled

a planned anti-Semitic attack

in the city using a trailer filled with explosives.

A spate of attacks in recent months has alarmed the country's Jews, drawn criticism from Israel and placed pressure on the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who faces re-election in polls that must be held by May.

Anti-Semitic graffiti was sprayed on three sites, including the Mount Sinai College in the city’s east early on Jan 30 – one of almost a dozen incidents in the city in recent months that the police say appeared to be coordinated.

Students there returned on Jan 31 after Australia’s summer break, with the police and private security stationed outside the building.

“We’re really grateful that the police are here and protecting us,” said Ms Gina Ferrer, a mother dropping off her child at the school. 

“I love this country, I think it’s the best country in the world, but for the first time in my life I actually feel really let down by Australia.” 

Mr Matt Thistlethwaite, the federal lawmaker for the area that has a high Jewish population, said he had been working with the local police to increase patrols in the area.

Security heightened

Australia has been grappling with a series of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war in late 2023.

The police in New South Wales state, which includes Sydney, said on Jan 29 that they found explosives in a caravan, or trailer, that could have created a blast wave of 40m.

There was some indication the explosives were intended to be used in an anti-Semitic attack that could have caused mass casualties, the police said.

The escalating attacks have prompted Jews to hire security guards for private events and remove visible signs of their Jewish identity, according to security companies and community leaders.

Mr Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the umbrella group for Australia’s Jews, said some Jews were removing skull caps worn by men as a symbol of faith while outside and taking down mezuzah, a parchment scroll containing Hebrew verses traditionally attached from the doors of Jewish homes.

“The more of these attacks that we see and particularly given their gravity and the scale, people will begin to question how they can live in Australia as Jews, and that will then force them into a very difficult choice,” he said.

Mr Stephen Vogel – founder of Sayeret Security, a private security company catering to the Jewish community in Sydney – said he had seen an increase in business in recent weeks.

“People are a little bit more nervous at the moment and want to have security for them for their functions, just to mitigate any potential risk,” he said. REUTERS