Police probe shul swastika daubing
POLICE are investigating what Member for Heffron Ron Hoenig has described as “a gross attack on our community” after five swastikas were sprayed on and around Maroubra Synagogue last weekend.
POLICE are investigating what Member for Heffron Ron Hoenig has described as “a gross attack on our community” after five swastikas were sprayed on and around Maroubra Synagogue last weekend.
One swastika was discovered on the outer wall of the synagogue, three on nearby bus stops, and one on steps leading to a pedestrian bridge that stretches across Anzac Parade near Maroubra Synagogue.
“A report has been made to Eastern Beaches Police and an investigation is underway,” a NSW Police spokesperson told The AJN.
“Police will investigate all potential motivations for the alleged crimes including motivations of bias.”
The AJN understands that the graffiti was first noticed on Sunday morning when it was reported to Maroubra Synagogue’s Rabbi Yossi Friedman, Sydney’s Communal Security Group and police.
“This is an assault against the Jewish people and directed towards those in my community,” Rabbi Friedman wrote in a statement on Facebook on Monday.
“Racial hatred has no place in our society and is a direct betrayal of our country’s core values.”
Hoenig, who is on the board of management at Maroubra Synagogue, also told The AJN, “The synagogue is a place of peace and charity; the hateful swastikas scrawled on our walls and local landmarks are a gross attack on our community.
“We can’t afford to become complacent about multiculturalism or our embrace of religious freedoms, lest those hard-earned liberties become lost to intolerance and bigotry.”
The matter was also reported to the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD).
“Nazi swastikas are not just graffiti,” JBOD CEO Vic Alhadeff said.
“They are the ultimate symbol of racial hatred, and the cowards who engaged in this act of bigotry are to be thoroughly condemned. There is no place for such behaviour in our society.”
Each swastika has since been removed, and Maroubra Synagogue president Daryl Robinson has told The AJN it is “business as usual” for the synagogue.
He added: “We have a passionate and committed community in Maroubra and will not be intimidated or deterred by such acts.”
ELENORE LEVI
If anyone has information about this incident, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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