A man has been charged over an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue in an apparent escalation in antisemitic violence in Australia's second-most populous city.

A man has been charged after an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, one of several antisemitic incidents that unfolded across the city over the weekend.

Angelo Loras, 34, of Sydney, who describes himself as Iranian, suspected of starting fire at entrance to East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation building while 20 people were inside