Jewish community leaders have declared a vicious assault on five Melbourne teenagers an act of terrorism, after the boys were forced to hide for seven minutes as men shouting hate tried to run them down.
A Terrifying Escape After School
The five boys, aged 15 and 16, were walking home from the Adass Israel School in St Kilda East on Monday night when they were stalked by two young males in a white utility vehicle. The vehicle performed a U-turn and accelerated towards the group, nearly hitting them.
"Somebody was hanging out the window giving a Nazi salute, heil Hitler. It was extremely confronting for the children. They were extremely intimidated, extremely scared," said Chayim Klein, the father of one of the victims. The teenagers, identifiable as Orthodox Jews, had just left their school.
Seven Minutes of Fear and Threats
Victoria Police's Acting Commander Adrian Healy confirmed the ute then deliberately drove at the group before running a red light and circling the local area, continuing to search for the boys. The terrified teens hid in a lane way as their attackers prowled the streets for a harrowing seven minutes.
"They screamed out 'we'll come back tomorrow morning and find you and stab you'," Klein recounted, detailing the verbal threats made by the assailants.
When asked how he was coping, Klein described a "struggle", calling it a long night and a short morning. His son was too fearful to walk to school the following day, a direct consequence of the traumatic event.
Community Leaders Condemn 'Nightmare' Act of Terrorism
Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, did not mince words in his assessment. "This is a nightmare come true for those young people who were simply walking down the street back home," he said. When questioned if the boys were lucky to be alive, Abramovich stated bluntly: "They could have been dead. It is a miracle they are not in a morgue now."
Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the alleged attack, stating such hateful behaviour has no place in Victoria. She noted that the Nazi salute is banned in the state and can lead to prosecution. The Premier also flagged her government's plans to strengthen anti-vilification laws when parliament resumes in early February.
Police revealed the ute had New South Wales plates and was stolen the previous weekend. Acting Commander Healy confirmed the vehicle "has been connected to some aggravated burglaries and vehicle thefts."
For Chayim Klein, a prominent member of the Adass synagogue which was firebombed in 2024, this is not his first experience with anti-Semitism. Despite the fear, he remains defiant. "We're not going to cower and hide away. We've got to continue... go to work every day, go to pray every day... We live in beautiful Melbourne, Australia, and we hope to get it back to what it used to be," he said.
