A series of antisemitic attacks targeted cars and homes in Sydney on Sunday morning, marking the latest in a disturbing trend of hate crimes against the Jewish community in Australia’s largest city.

Overnight, vehicles and residences in Sydney’s eastern suburbs—home to a large Jewish population—were defaced with antisemitic graffiti. Crime scenes have been established as investigations continue. The attacks come just days after New South Wales authorities doubled the number of officers in a special task force dedicated to combating antisemitic crimes.

David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, condemned the latest incidents, saying that they were intended to “intimidate and terrorize the Jewish community and destabilize Sydney’s social harmony.”

On Thursday, antisemitic vandalism struck at three locations, including Mount Sinai College, and are among nearly a dozen similar incidents reported in Sydney in recent months. Authorities believe the attacks may be coordinated.

Adding to concerns, police discovered explosives in a trailer last week that, if detonated, could have created a blast radius of 40 meters (130 feet). Investigators suspect the device may have been intended for a mass-casualty attack targeting Jewish Australians.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, under pressure from critics for not taking stronger action against hate crimes, has repeatedly condemned antisemitism, emphasizing that it has no place in Australia’s “tolerant multicultural community.”

Australia has seen a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. The rise in hate crimes has sparked alarm within the Jewish community and drawn criticism from Israel.

With federal elections approaching by May, Albanese’s government faces mounting calls to take stronger measures to curb antisemitic violence and ensure the safety of Jewish Australians.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)