More Anti-Semitic Attacks in Sydney, Including Abuse and Suspected Egg-Throwing

A member of the Jewish community staples a poster to the front of the damaged Adass Israel Synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea in Australia on Dec. 9, 2024. Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images

Police are investigating a string of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney, including eggs being allegedly hurled at five women near Bondi beach and a separate abuse incident.

Three men driving a silver Mazda allegedly targeted five young women before crashing a silver Mazda, which was found in Rose Bay with two cartons of eggs in it.

A spokesperson for the Police told The Epoch Times that the women were of Jewish background, but this may not have been known by the occupants of the vehicle.

“Police are still investigating the circumstances,” a spokesperson said.

Strike Force Pearl Commander Detective Superintendent Darren Newman told reporters he had been advised that “it potentially was clothing worn by those young ladies as to why they were targeted.”

While the incident is still under investigation, police confirmed that the cartons of eggs and an empty jerry can were found in the silver Mazda.

“The Silver Mazda was seen in and around that Bondi area at the time that that attack occurred on those young ladies at Bondi Beach, and that same Mazda was also seized by us in Rose Bay only about half an hour later. So yes, we believe those incidents were linked,” Newman told the ABC on Feb. 3.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies said reports about Jewish women being allegedly egged at Bondi beach were “truly grotesque and depraved.”

“Throwing eggs at innocent women simply because they’re Jewish is beyond contemptible,” the board said.

“It is essential that the alleged offenders not only face the full force of the law but are subjected to the public shaming and derision they deserve.”

In Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where a large proportion of the Jewish community live, vandals also allegedly sprayed cars and garage doors with graffiti.

Separate Anti-Semitic Abuse Incident

In a separate incident, a man will face court on Feb. 3, charged with intimidation following an alleged anti-Semitic incident in Bondi.

NSW Police officers attached to Strike Force Pearl were patrolling the Bondi area about 7:40 a.m. on Saturday when they were flagged down by a woman reporting abuse from a man allegedly seen in the yard of private premises.

After investigation, a 21-year-old man was arrested at a unit on Bondi Road, Bondi, about 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 2 by officers attached to Inner West Police Area Command.

“The man was taken to Newtown Police Station where he was charged with stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm—personal,” NSW Police said.

“He was also charged with destroy or damage property for an unrelated incident at Newtown on Wednesday 15 January and breach of bail.”

Police said overall, a total of 12 people have now been charged under Strike Force Pearl, which was established in December 2024 to investigate anti-Semitic hate crimes in Sydney.

NSW Police encourages anyone who is the victim or witness of a hate crime to report the incident to Crime Stoppers.

Paterson and Albanese Address Anti-Semitism

Amid anti-Semitic attacks in multiple states, Liberal Senator James Paterson said there were eight steps the Albanese government can take if serious about stopping this “domestic terror crisis.”

These include legislating mandatory minimum sentences for Commonwealth terrorism of at least eight years,  legislating sentences of at least 12 months for public display of hate symbols, and launching a new national campaign to combat anti-Semitism, among other measures.

“Anti-Semitic graffiti in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth over the weekend can all be added to the prime minister’s new database. But so far there is no evidence being added to an excel spreadsheet will deter anti-Semites or criminals for hire. Only real action can do that,” Paterson said.

“This is a test of Anthony Albanese’s leadership. He must take strong action to stamp out anti-Semitism. Continued weakness will only embolden extremists who may escalate their behaviour even further.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government is working on education to stop anti-Semitic attacks.

“We need to make sure that people understand that the Holocaust—six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and it didn’t begin with the gas chambers, it began with a treating of Jewish people and a depiction of them as being of less value than their fellow citizens,” Albanese said on Feb. 3.

“Whether it be a synagogue or whether that be people on the street. We’re seeing, I think, really a rise that I haven’t seen in my lifetime.”