An arson attack on a billboard advertising an event featuring Israel’s United Hatzalah organization marks the latest antisemitic incident to strike Australia’s Jewish community.
The sign in Melbourne promoted an event at a local shul featuring Eli Beer, the president and founder of United Hatzalah. The Australian Jewish Association posted images of the burned billboard on social media, writing: “This is the reality for Jews in Melbourne in 2026.”
The vandalism follows a troubling pattern of antisemitic incidents across Australia since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel – including the torches of shuls and a shooting attack on a Chanukah event at Bondi Beach, in which 15 people were murdered.
“This is the reality for Jews in Melbourne in 2026,” the Australian Jewish Association said on X.
About 110,000 Jews live in Australia, primarily in Melbourne and Sydney. The incidents reflect a broader surge in antisemitism affecting Jewish communities worldwide since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
