Jewish TV Chef’s Bakery Targeted With Anti-Semitic Graffiti and Threat

Members of the Australian Jewish community hold an Israeli flag during a memorial service in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 7, 2024, to mark the anniversary of Palestinian militant group Hamas's attack on Israel. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images

A Sydney bakery owned by a Jewish TV chef has been targeted with anti-Semitic graffiti and a threatening note.

TV chef Ed Halmagyi took to Instagram on Oct. 13 to share a copy of the note shoved under his bakery door, which reads, “Be careful.”

“Being Jewish in Sydney 2024 edition. This note was shoved under the door of our bakery overnight,” he said on Instagram.

“But the fact is, it’s hard to be intimidated by inner-city middle-class Cosplay Radicals who graduated primary school without their pen licence.”

Halmagyi, also known as Fast Ed, has been a television star on Better Homes and Gardens for more than 20 years. He has also written several cookbooks and owns Avner’s Bakery in Surry Hills.

New South Wales (NSW) Police said they were investigating the incident and urged anyone with information to contact Surry Hills Police or Crime Stoppers.

“Officers attached to Surry Hills Police Area Command attended a business on Bourke Street, Surry Hills, after becoming aware of offensive graffiti sprayed on the walls of the premises,” a police spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

“Police have been told a man also received a written note containing an alleged threat when he arrived at the business the same morning.”

The Australian Jewish Association said it was shocked by reports that a Jewish bakery in Surry Hills had been targeted by “terrorist graffiti.”

“The Hamas triangle is used to mark targets for attack. Every single day in this country, Jews and Jewish businesses are targeted or attacked,” the AJA said.

“In the 1930s across Europe, Jewish businesses were targeted with graffiti. The Free Palestine movement has unleashed a torrent of anti-Jewish hate. What is happening to Australia?

Meanwhile, Palestine Action Group Sydney held an “end the genocide” in Gaza rally on Oct. 13, calling for an end to the “war on Gaza and Lebanon.”

“This week, we have seen horrific images coming out of Israeli air strikes on Beirut and in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, killing dozens. Enough is enough,” the group said.