Long day care service targeted in apparent antisemitic attack 

An investigation into a suspicious fire at a long day care service in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs is underway, after the building on Storey Street, Maroubra was found ablaze just before 1am, Tuesday 21 January. 

Fire and Rescue NSW attended and found the ground floor well alight. The blaze was extinguished; however, the building sustained extensive damage. Offensive graffiti was also located spray painted on an external wall, suggesting that the attack had antisemitic undertones. 

The service is located a short distance from a synagogue and Jewish school in the same suburb, however the service, part of a larger organisation with centres in multiple states, has no direct connections to the Jewish community. 

Thankfully the building was unoccupied at the time, and there were no injuries. Officers attached to Eastern Beaches Police Area Command established a crime scene and an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Commenting on the incident the Prime Minister said his government will support the NSW Police to “hunt down the offenders and ensure they face the full force of the law through Operation Avalite.”

The fire is the latest in a series of incidents to take place in the Eastern Suburbs, including cars being torched and defaced, and red paint being splashed on a home, as well as an arson and graffiti attack on a synagogue in the inner-Sydney suburb of Newtown on January 11.

Anyone with information, CCTV and/or dashcam footage relating to this morning’s fire is urged to contact Maroubra Police Station.

The NSW Police Force takes hate crimes seriously and encourages anyone who is the victim of a hate crime or witnesses a hate crime to report the matter to police through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.