Josh Frydenberg demands Anthony Albanese declare shocking ‘firebomb’ attack at a synagogue an act of terror

Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has urged Anthony Albanese to declare the targeted attack on a synagogue an act of terror during a fiery address.  

The Adass Israel Synagogue, in Ripponlea, in Glen Eira in Melbourne’s south-east, was set alight around 4am on Friday morning as worshippers gathered for prayers.  

Two people suffered injuries following the attack, which Victoria Police believe was a ‘targeted incident’.

Mr Frydenberg on Saturday slammed the Prime Minister for what he felt was a lack of leadership following incidents of anti-Semitism in Australia. 

‘Prime Minister how did you let it get to this?’ he said. 

‘Where the Australian Jewish community lives in fear… where anti-Semitism has become normalised.’

Mr Frydenberg listed several demands he urged Mr Albanese to act on, the first being to declare the early morning firebombing an act of terror. 

‘[The prime minister] and his government need to declare yesterday’s attack at the Adass Israel Synagogue a terrorist event,’ Mr Frydenberg said. 

Photos from the scene showed the Synagogue well alight (pictured) as firefighters battled to douse the flames as it ripped through the building

‘There was a firebombing at a place of worship with people inside, who have been injured as a result and the legislation is very clear.’ 

Mr Frydenberg, who served as the previous member for the seat of Kooyong, also demanded Mr Albanese implement a national police taskforce to curb anti-Semitism and launch a judicial inquiry into Australian education institutions. 

‘Please prime minister, see what is happening and act. You and your ministers need to step up, not step back from the challenges we face,’ he said. 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Prime Minister’s office for further comment. 

Mr Albanese described the incident as a ‘deliberate, unlawful attack’ on Friday. 

He said any attack on a place of worship went against the values Australians uphold during an address in Western Australia later the same day. 

‘To attack a synagogue is an act of anti-Semitism, is attacking the right that all Australians should have to practice their faith in peace and security,’ he said. 

The incident drew a strong rebuke from the President of Israel Isaac Herzog, who said he had expressed his concerns and discussed the matter with Mr Albanese. 

The former Treasurer urged Mr Albanese to declare the attack on Friday as an act of terror

Mr Albanese described the incident as a ‘deliberate, unlawful attack in a statement that was released on Friday (pictured a flowers laid near the Synagogue on Saturday)

Chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dr Dvir Abramovich labelled the attack a ‘national emergency’ and urged the government to demonstrate more proactive leadership on protecting the safety of communities. 

‘This wasn’t just an attack on bricks and mortar; it was a strike at the heart of Australian decency and morality,’ Dr Abramovich told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘We are staring into the abyss of unchecked hatred, and yet our leaders are still offering up the same old platitudes.’ 

Worshippers were forced to flee the building on Friday as 60 firefighters and 17 trucks arrived to combat the blaze. 

Photos from the scene showed the synagogue well alight as firefighters battled to douse the flames as it ripped through the building.

Several windows has been smashed with several parts of the exterior damaged by the inferno, which gutted two of the three buildings of the synagogue.

The worshippers inside the building at the time said inflammable liquids had been thrown in, synagogue board member Benjamin Klein said. 

‘They heard banging on the door, and the window and some liquids came through which were lit. The whole thing took off pretty quickly and was on fire,’ he said. 

‘For this to happen to a synagogue thousands of kilometres away from anywhere else in the world, a peaceful neighbourhood, a peaceful community – it is quite horrendous.’

Floral tributes were laid outside the synagogue on Saturday after the building was barricaded by large steel fences.