Mideast War blowback

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A man attempted to set fire to a centuries-old historic synagogue in East Melbourne on Friday, Australian authorities confirmed. The incident occurred only shortly before an Israeli restaurant in the city was attacked.

At the time of the attempted arson attack, 20 people were inside the synagogue but did not suffer injuries as a result of the incident, according to Victoria Police. Firefighters attended the scene within minutes and extinguished the blaze on the Synagogue’s front door, the Victoria fire department said.

A man is understood to have poured flammable liquid on the front door around 8 p.m. local time.

Protesters attack an Israeli-owned restaurant[b]
The arson attack followed heightened tensions and protests across the city hours earlier over the perceived excessive security at protests, the New York Times reported.
Some 20 protesters were recorded yelling “Death to the IDF” at the Israeli-owned Miznon restaurant. A recording shared by the Daily Mail Australia revealed chairs, food, and glassware being thrown at the venue.

They came in with their drums and their mic and stuff saying Miznon is not welcome here,” a diner told the Herald Sun. “Then they started getting aggressive, throwing tomatoes, chairs, and glasses. They caused lots of damage to the businesses down here.”
One protester from the restaurant incident was reportedly arrested and received a summons.

“Several other protesters were spoken to by police and had their identities clarified for the purpose of follow-up investigation,” a police spokeswoman told [i]Daily Mail Australia. “Victoria Police continued to support the rights of Victorians to protest peacefully, but will not tolerate the kind of anti-social and violent behavior that was witnessed this evening.

Members of the National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest teachers' union, have voted to sever ties with the civil rights group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) over the war in Gaza.

Why it matters: The member-backed measure calls for the union to no longer use ADL material on antisemitism and Holocaust education, nor will it promote other ADL statistics or programs.

Driving the news: The proposal was adopted by NEA delegates at the 2025 Representative Assembly this week in Portland, Oregon.

However, because it was determined to be a "sanction item," it is an automatic referral to the NEA Executive Committee, an NEA spokesperson, Staci Maiers, told Axios.
"Therefore, the official action on (proposal) is adopted and referred to committee," Maiers said.

Zoom in: According to the proposal text, "NEA will not use, endorse, or publicize any materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), such as its curricular materials or its statistics."

In addition, "NEA will not participate in ADL programs or publicize ADL professional development offerings," the measure read.

Context: The ADL has provided public schools with materials about the Holocaust, anti-hate training and antisemitism for four decades.

It also provides an annual report on antisemitism in the U.S., which can also be shared in schools.

Caveat: If the NEA Executive Committee adopts the ADL ban, schools can still use ADL material.

Yes, but: It sets up potential future showdowns with local NEA unions and school districts if the war in Gaza continues.

Between the lines: It is the latest episode of historic liberal-leaning groups and unions at odds over the war in Gaza, support for Israel and interpretations of antisemitism.

Earlier this year, a union representing over 30,000 faculty and staff at the City University of New York (CUNY) passed a resolution to divest its union funds from Israeli companies and government bonds.

Last year, the San Francisco Unified School District held mandatory antisemitism training for staff at four high schools, prompting the teachers' union, United Educators of San Francisco, to state that it would support any educator who chose to opt out of the mandatory training.

What we're watching: The NEA Executive Committee will have a final say on the measure.
How it votes could give a preview of boiling tensions between Democratic-leaning unions and some Jewish voters, who are largely Democrats, ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.