The fire before dawn on Friday at Adass Israel, a haredi Orthodox synagogue in the town of Ripponlea, sent congregants gathered for morning prayers into the streets at 4:10 a.m. Those who fled the fire reported assailants breaking windows and throwing firebombs into the building.

An arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne last week is being investigated as terrorist incident, Australian officials said Monday, as the government announced it was establishing a new taskforce to combat antisemitism.