Worshippers at Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue said they were "traumatised" after the building was badly damaged in an alleged anti-Semitic attack in the early hours of Friday.
The incident prompted Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hit out at the Australian government, saying he expected action to prevent future violence.
NSW Premier Chris Minns says he was "horrified" by the attack on a synagogue in Melbourne. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
NSW Premier Chris Minns appeared to be heeding the call, with his Labor government vowing to explore how the state could better protect people's right to gather at places of worship free from intimidation.
"I am horrified by the attack at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, and the recent sight of protests out the front of a religious institution," he said in a statement on Saturday.
"Holding the line isn't enough ... we have to go further and ensure that people's right to religious freedom of expression and worship is protected."
Mr Minns said NSW would consider reforms to laws regulating protests outside religious institutions and places of worship that aimed to intimidate or prevent people from practising their faith.
"People have the right to feel safe in their own city, in their own churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship," he said.
"And while everyone has the right to protest peacefully in NSW, the right to peaceful assembly does not permit or excuse the intimidation or vilification of people based on their faith or religion."
Describing protesting outside places of religious worship as "inflammatory and provocative", Mr Minns said NSW would aim to balance people's rights to religious freedoms with the right to protest.
The attorney general and the Cabinet Office have been asked to look at ways the state can better protect places of worship from protests and provide reform options to the government.
The attack on Adass Synagogue was not an attack on one, it was an attack on all.— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) All Australians are paying the price as our leaders have gone missing.Please Prime Minister, see what is happening, understand what is happening, and act.My open letter to the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/rzESRzYJVLDecember 6, 2024
Former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to set up a police task force devoted to stamping out anti-Semitism and declare the Ripponlea attack a terrorist act.
Victoria Police are continuing their search for two suspected masked intruders who allegedly broke into the synagogue in Melbourne's southeast before setting it alight in the early hours of Friday.
Two of the synagogue's three buildings were gutted in the attack.
A police spokeswoman said officers had responded to a report a bullet had been found on a footpath near the synagogue in Glen Eira Avenue about 5pm on Saturday.
"The item will be examined and the exact circumstances surrounding it are being investigated," the spokeswoman said in a statement.
Religious leaders have described a heightened sense of fear in the community since Friday's attack.
Community members will come together to "stand against hate and show solidarity" on Sunday at a rally that will culminate in flowers being laid at the synagogue.
"This rally is a moment to unite, reflect and reaffirm our shared commitment to resilience and togetherness in our community," organisers J-United said.
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