The Simon Wiesenthal Center is warning Jewish people planning to visit Australia to stay vigilant after a recent terror attack on a synagogue in Melbourne.
Last Friday, someone threw a molotov cocktail into the community hall at Adass Israel Synagogue, one of the country’s most significant Jewish centers. Two people inside were burned.
This was the third antisemitic attack in recent months, according to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The Australian government is investigating the incident as a terrorist attack and a new task force is being established to combat antisemitism. But Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles said the Australian authorities aren’t taking the attack seriously enough.
“This particular event, a terrorist event, I think broke the dam in terms of the Jewish community in Australia,” he told KNX News’ Emily Valdez. “They have felt that these issues had not been taken seriously, not by the police, not by intelligence, not by the media, et cetera, et cetera.”
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The Simon Wiesenthal Center is also warning people to be vigilant while visiting Malmö, Sweden and Amsterdam.
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