Two men granted bail after pointing imitation pistol at Sydney synagogue

Two men accused of pointing an imitation pistol at a synagogue in Sydney's eastern suburbs have been granted bail.

Police were called to Chabad Double Bay just after 12.20pm on Saturday, following reports that occupants of a car had pointed a firearm in the direction of the building.

A short time later, officers stopped a Toyota SUV at the corner of Bayswater and Darlinghurst roads in Kings Cross.

Police searched the vehicle and uncovered an imitation pistol, which has been seized for forensic examination.

Two men, 22-year-old Neils Baholet and 25-year-old Merouan Meye, were arrested at the scene and taken to Kings Cross Police Station, before being transferred to Surry Hills Police Station.

Mr Baholet was charged with using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence, possessing an unauthorised pistol and stalking offences, and is due back in court on July 22.

Mr Meye was charged with possessing an unauthorised pistol; his next court appearance is scheduled for July 13.

The pair appeared before local court on Sunday where they were ordered not to enter Double Bay as part of strict bail conditions.

'No longer comes as a surprise'

The co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Peter Wertheim, said he was "shocked" by the incident, but not surprised.

"We've seen so many incidents in recent times involving acts of threats of violence directed at the Jewish community, so it no longer comes as a surprise," he said.

"It does beg some questions about the upbringing of the individuals."

Mr Wertheim said the men had allegedly targeted a group of worshippers marking the Jewish Sabbath.

"It was a group of Jewish Australians who were doing nothing more than attending a Sabbath service as they do every week."

He praised the swift response of Jewish security group CSG and NSW Police, who worked closely with officers from Operation Shelter to arrest the pair.

"It's something that will give some degree of comfort to the community after what was obviously a threatening and menacing incident," Mr Wertheim said.

The arrests come amid the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, which is investigating the circumstances surrounding the Bondi terror attack and the prevalence of antisemitism in Australia.

Nearly seven months ago, 15 people were killed in the country's worst terror attack, when two men opened fire at a Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach.