Melbourne synagogue fire condemned by PM as 'act of hate', as witnesses describe seeing masked attackers

Australian Jewish community leaders say "no-one should be surprised" following the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue on Friday morning, and urged politicians to do more to address anti-Semitism they called a "stain on [the] nation".

Fire crews were called to the Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne's south-east shortly after 4am and found a large fire burning through the building.

Early-morning worshippers inside the synagogue reported seeing two masked men throw fuel inside the premises, before setting it alight.

"There was some banging on a door with some liquid thrown inside and was lit alight, the few people inside the synagogue ran outside the back door, one of them got burnt," Adass Israel Synagogue board member Benjamin Klein said.

He believed the fire had destroyed "a huge amount of furniture and holy books and Torah scrolls".

"It's quite horrendous and the community is really reeling from it," he said.

"This is the focal point of the community, the jewel in the crown of the community and to see it lying burnt and in ruins is quite horrendous.

"Whilst we don't know what happened and why this happened, we really have no idea at the moment, at the same time … people should just live and let live."

Yumi Friedman was inside the building and said he heard "a big bang like a sledgehammer" before a window was smashed, sending "glass flying".

Mr Friedman said another worshipper saw two men wearing balaclavas outside the property. Police also said they had received a similar report from a witness.

Mr Friedman said his hand was burnt when he tried to return to the synagogue and open a door.

"It is shocking that here in Australia there's such anti-Semitism," he said.

Prime minister describes attack as 'an outrage'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with other political leaders and Jewish community advocates, expressed dismay over the incident.

Mr Albanese denounced it as a violent act of anti-Semitism aimed at creating fear in the community.

Israeli president Isaac Herzog labelled it an "abhorrent anti-Semitic arson attack" and called on leaders in Australia and globally to "combat the intolerable rise of anti-Jewish racism worldwide".

Mr Albanese said he was briefed on the blaze on Friday morning by the Australian Federal Police commissioner, who said there were two persons of interest in the incident.

"What was witnessed was them using accelerant and then spreading it with a broom, clearly designed to maximise the damage that could occur," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

Mr Albanese said police were examining CCTV footage to try and identify the suspects.

"It's a terrible morning to wake up to this news, which all Australians should unequivocally condemn," he said.

"This is an outrage. The violence and intimidation and destruction of a place of worship is something that we should never see in Australia."

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also condemned the "abhorrent" attack on a place of worship.

"Today we should double down on our support of the Jewish community, who will be feeling this very acutely," he said.

Premier Jacinta Allan said the synagogue, built by Holocaust survivors, should be a refuge of "peace, prayer and safety" and the attack had left Victorians feeling "sick" and "disgusted".

Ms Allan, who later visited the synagogue and told the community "significant resources" were being deployed by police to find those responsible.

"And we stand against anti-Semitism, now and forever."

The premier also pledged $100,000 from the Victorian government to support the rebuilding work for the synagogue.

Ms Allan's appearance at the press conference was cut short, however, after tense exchanges with some members of the local Jewish community, who accused her of not doing enough to stamp out anti-Semitism.

Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to link the synagogue attack with Australia's vote for a United Nations resolution that called for an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.

"I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such anti-Semitic acts in the future," his office said on his X account.

"Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution ... and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country."

He added that "anti-Israel sentiment is anti-Semitism".

Police hunt two masked people believed to be behind 'targeted' attack

Detective Inspector Chris Murray from the Arson and Explosives Squad said it appeared to be an intentional attack.

"A witness who was attending morning prayers has entered the synagogue and upon entering has seen two individuals wearing masks. They appeared to be spreading accelerant of some type inside the premises," he said.

Police said they were searching for three people in total in relation to the incident.

Detective Inspector Murray said police were taking the incident seriously and would increase patrols in the area.

"All I can say is we're going to be out, we're going to be visible and we will be investigating this with all the resources we can commit," he said.

In New South Wales, Premier Chris Minns said local police would also be increasing patrols and stepping up their presence in "key places in Sydney".

He noted it had been a fortnight since a "disgusting night of vandalism" in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra, where a car was set alight and anti-Israel slogans were graffitied on other vehicles.

"We stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends both in Sydney and around the country," Mr Minns said.

"You deserve to feel safe in your own city. If these acts are designed as a campaign of intimidation, they will fail."

'We've known this has been coming', Jewish group says

Standing outside the synagogue, Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion called the incident "a tragic day for the Australian-Jewish community".

"None of the Jewish community is surprised. We've known this has been coming," he said.

Naomi Levin, the Jewish Community Council of Victoria chief executive, said the community had a right to live "as proud Australians and proud Jewish people".

She said some of the religious texts feared destroyed were handwritten on parchment.

"They take roughly a year to complete and are valued by our community beyond other material items," Ms Levin said.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said the attack appeared to a "shocking escalation" of documented anti-Semitism in Australia in recent months.

"No one should be surprised; this violent attack is a direct consequence of words turning into actions. Jew-hatred, left unchecked, endangers all Australians," he said.

In a statement, the co-presidents of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum called the fire "a deeply disquieting event for our local Jewish and the national Australian community".

Dozens of firefighters battled to contain blaze

Assistant Chief Fire Officer with Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) Brayden Sinnamon said dozens of firefighters attended the scene and brought the blaze under control within half an hour.

"FRV crews worked tirelessly to bring it under control and approximately 17 appliances and 60 firefighters were on scene," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

"Damage to the building is quite a lot, however crews worked amazingly to contain the fire so that no further damage was done to the extensions or other neighbouring buildings."

A Victoria Police spokesperson said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined and an arson chemist would visit the site.