Melbourne, Australia – UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis arrived in Australia for a series of planned engagements and made a visit to the Adas Yisroel Shul on his first day in Melbourne.

This is the Chief Rabbi’s second visit to Australia in recent months. The current trip was scheduled about a year ago. While the primary purpose of his trip was other previous commitments, he specifically requested to stop by the shul to meet with the Rov (Gaaved) of Adas Yisroel, Rav Shloime Kohn, a source involved in the Jewish community affairs in Melbourne tells Belaaz.

The Chief Rabbi inspected the part of the shul that was firebombed in December 2024, which authorities linked to Iran. His visit comes amid rising threats to Jewish sites worldwide. Rabbi Mirvis described being at the site as a ‘sobering reminder’ of the global dangers Jews face from Iran and its proxies.”

The Chief of Police of Melbourne also attended the meeting in hornor of the Chief Rabbi.

In a statement posted on X today, Rabbi Mirvis shared:
“When I planned this trip nearly a year ago, I didn’t know that this would be my second visit to Australia within a matter of months. On my first day here in Melbourne I visited the Adass Israel Synagogue, which was firebombed in December 2024, an attack which Australian authorities say was linked to Iran. Being here is a sobering reminder of the threat that Jews around the world face from Iran and its proxies.”