People walk at the scene of a shooting incident at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, Dec. 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kirsty Needham

Australian police have identified a person of interest in a Christmas morning arson attack on a vehicle with Hanukkah decorations, marking the latest antisemitic incident in Australia as the local Jewish community continues to face a growing climate of hostility.

On Thursday, a local rabbi’s car in Melbourne, decorated with a “Happy Chanukah” sign, was firebombed by an unknown individual, forcing his family to flee their home.

Shortly after the incident, Melbourne police launched an investigation into the firebombing, treating it as an antisemitic and targeted attack. 

Authorities have now identified a 47-year-old man as their main suspect, who also has an outstanding arrest warrant for allegedly using a stolen credit card, but he has not yet been charged in connection with the firebombing.

Speaking at a press conference, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Chris Gilbert said, “The most important thing” was to understand the motive behind the attack and to “make sure the community doesn’t live in fear as a result of this incident.”

This latest attack has sparked outrage within the local Jewish community, drawing condemnation from both Jewish leaders and government officials, as the country continues to mourn the deadly Hanukkah attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people and injured at least 40 others.

According to Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, antisemitic incidents in Australia surged by 600 percent following the Bondi Beach massacre, with data showing a sharp spike in verbal and physical attacks against Jews in public in the two days after the attack.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the latest incident, calling it a disturbing act of hatred and emphasizing the need for stronger measures to protect the Jewish community.

“The firebombing of a car in Melbourne is another terrible act of suspected antisemitism,” Albanese wrote in a post on X. “There is no place in Australia for this kind of hatred, and it has to stop.”

Australia’s Jewish community is in mourning after the Bondi terrorist attack.

The firebombing of a car in Melbourne is another terrible act of suspected antisemitism. Federal authorities stand ready to assist.

There is no place in Australia for this kind of hatred and it has to…

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 25, 2025

As the local Jewish community continues to grapple with a shocking surge in violence and targeted attacks, Australia’s rabbis urged Albanese in a letter to establish a federal Royal Commission into antisemitism — a formal public inquiry empowered to investigate, make recommendations, and propose legislative measures to address the issue. 

“We have sat with grieving families. We have visited the injured. We have stood with children who no longer feel safe walking to school. We have watched members of our communities withdraw from public spaces, universities, and civic life out of fear,” the letter reads. 

“We are demanding nothing less than the banning of [anti-Israel] marches and demonstrations, and the criminalization of the phrases ‘death to the IDF,’ ‘globalize the intifada,’ and ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.’ This is not an abstract concern. It is a lived reality,” it continues, referencing three popular chants among anti-Israel activists that have been widely interpreted as a call for violence against both Jews and Israelis.

BREAKING – Australia’s Rabbis have written to the Prime Minister calling for a Royal Commission pic.twitter.com/gCpuhdszZS

— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) December 25, 2025

Amid this increasingly hostile climate, the Australian government has been pursuing a series of firearm reforms, including a national gun buyback and limits on the number of firearms an individual can own.

On Wednesday, New South Wales passed its own legislation further restricting firearm ownership. Police will also be granted more powers to impose restrictions on protests for up to three months after a declared terrorist, and public display of flags and symbols of designated terrorist organizations has been outlawed.