Another serious antisemitic incident has been reported in Australia: Vandals spray-painted three swastikas and an anti-Jewish slur on the home of a Jewish family in Adelaide and punctured the tires of a vehicle parked outside. Police opened an investigation and said the attack appeared to have been motivated by the family’s religion.
The incident occurred over the weekend in the Camden Park neighborhood of Adelaide, South Australia. The words “Jew dog” were spray-painted on the home’s front gate and door alongside Nazi symbols.
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Rosti Sverdlov beside the graffiti sprayed on his home
(Photo: South Australian television footage)
The homeowner, Rosti Sverdlov, a father of seven, said he initially thought it was a random act of vandalism. After seeing the swastikas and antisemitic message, however, he realized his family had been deliberately targeted.
Sverdlov told Australian media that his family had never concealed its Jewish identity and said the attack showed that people felt emboldened to commit such acts without cause.
He said neighbors and friends had offered to remove the graffiti, but he chose to leave it in place so the public could see what had happened. He stressed that the vandals had targeted not a Jewish institution, but a family home where children live.
The graffiti sprayed on Saturday morning
(Photo: South Australian television footage)
South Australia Police opened an investigation and said security cameras captured a dark-colored sedan arriving at the house early Saturday morning. Police said two suspects got out of the vehicle and approached the property. Authorities appealed to the public for help identifying them.
Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Scott Fitzgerald said antisemitism has no place in the state and that evidence gathered in the investigation indicate the home was targeted because the family is Jewish.
South Australia’s acting premier, Kyam Maher, condemned the attack and noted that displaying Nazi symbols and performing the Nazi salute are criminal offenses in the state. The offenses carry penalties of up to 12 months in prison or a fine of 20,000 Australian dollars.
The attack is the latest in a series of antisemitic incidents and hate crimes against Jews in Australia in recent months, including threats, harassment, property damage and physical assaults.