Rabbi’s car with ‘Happy Chanukah’ sign torched in Melbourne, as antisemitism wave persists |
A car carrying a sign celebrating Hanukkah was set ablaze in Melbourne early Thursday, the latest assault on Australian Jewish community members amid a spike in antisemitism.
The empty car, which had a “Happy Chanukah” sign fixed to the roof, was scorched from the inside after reportedly being firebombed while parked in the driveway of a house, images on national broadcaster ABC television showed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced the “evil” attack, which came as the country was still reeling from a mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney that killed 15 people and injured dozens of others on December 14.
The car was set alight in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Melbourne neighborhood of St. Kilda East, Victoria police said in a statement, describing it as a “suspicious fire.”
Occupants of the house were evacuated as a precaution. There were no injuries reported.
“Detectives have identified a person who may be able to assist with their investigation and they are actively searching for and making enquiries into their whereabouts,” police said.
???? Melbourne’s Jewish community woke to another attack.
A car displaying a Chanukah menorah was firebombed at 3am this morning.
Ask yourself who spends Christmas hunting Jews instead of being home with family.
Police are on the scene. pic.twitter.com/N4nQZYOcPS
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) December 24, 2025
The attack apparently happened shortly before 3 a.m. on Balaclava Road, which passes through a major Jewish neighborhood, and close to the location of a number of Jewish institutes, including a large Orthodox Jewish girls’ high school.
Rabbi Effy Block, of the local Chabad of St. Kilda, said the car belonged to a rabbi and his family, ABC reported.
“Thank God no people were harmed,” Block told AFP, saying it was clearly an antisemitic attack.
“But this is a continuing escalation, where we see these events happening again and again,” he added. “My Jewish community in St. Kilda and Melbourne do not feel safe in their own homes and country.”
Jewish security group CSG Victoria said it was in “close contact” with police and that it will continue “operating at a heightened level with increased patrols.” It urged the community to be vigilant.
“Yet again, antisemitism that has been allowed to fester over the past two years has manifested in a dangerous attack in the heart of Melbourne’s Jewish community,” MP David Southwick, who represents St.........