Thousands of non-Jews have ordered mezuzot in solidarity with their Jewish neighbours during a time of heightened antisemitism.
Sparked by an American actress, the growing trend of non-Jews affixing mezuzot to their doors is a heartwarming show of support, according to some rabbis, but others caution that it may unintentionally undermine Jewish tradition.
US actress Patricia Heaton launched the campaign on Monday, urging people to put up a mezuzah to help “fight antisemitism and bless your household”.
Heaton’s idea has sparked a halachic debate among rabbis.
Some believe when non-Jews affix a mezuzah – which is meant to designate a Jewish home — on their door, the religious significance of the object could be threatened.
But one progressive rabbi told the JC that the move was fine, so long as non-Jews did not use the parchment with the prescribed verses from the Torah which are traditionally contained inside. Rabbi Jordan Helfman of Oaks Lane Reform Synagogue in Essex thought it “a great idea.”
“At a time when many in the community have been feeling really alone and isolated, like they don’t have neighbours, to see non-Jewish people willing to put up a mezuzah and show solidarity with our people is moving.”
The rabbi said some of his members had moved their mezuzah to inside their front door because of fears of antisemitism.
He suggested, “Non-Jewish people don’t need to buy the parchment, just the box, to show solidarity.”
However, Rabbi David Sperling explained via the Yeshiva website that non-Jews should not put up a mezuzah: “Because the mezuzah represents that special covenant between the Jews and G-d, non-Jews are not allowed to keep this law.”
The mezuzah “is a special sign of a Jewish house” and to use it for another purpose could be “offensive,” the rabbi said.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Yehuda Shurpin of Chabad wrote: “When we see a mezuzah on a doorway, we know that Jews live there. Yet the mezuzah is not merely a symbol, it’s a mitzvah, a commandment from G-d.
“Jewish law specifically deals with this question and rules that a mezuzah should only be placed on the doorpost of a Jewish home.”
If non-Jews affix a mezuzah on their doorframes, they “may inadvertently diminish its significance,” Rabbi Shurpin added.
Hampstead Synagogue’s Rabbi Michael Harris commented, “Non-Jews affixing mezuzot to their doors is not a great idea. It smacks of religious appropriation. A mezuzah is not some kind of universal good luck charm or amulet but a specifically Jewish observance which should be respected as such. I don't think mezuzah makes any sense when ripped out of its proper context of Jewish life, theology and practice."
Another United Synagogue minister, Rabbi Daniel Roselaar of Kehillat Alei Tzion in London, said, "The sentiments is appreciated but I would gently try to discourage them because a mezuzah is not just a symbol but is a very holy object used in a specifically religious manner."
Former Israeli government spokesman and Israeli influencer, Eylon Levy, however, praised the campaign, tweeting: “I think this is a really beautiful gesture of solidarity, and the Jews dunking on this don’t understand how urgently we need our friends and allies to speak up.”
Heaton’s post directed social media users to MyZuzah, a Jewish charity that aims to put a mezuzah on every Jewish home in the world. The organisation has been inundated with thousands of requests after Heaton’s post.
Most requests from non-Jews, according to the charities programme director, were for the mezuzah case and not the parchment prayer that goes inside the box.
In her post, Heaton wrote: “As we head toward the one-year anniversary of October 7, I ask that you please join me in the #MyzuzahYourzuzah campaign to show solidarity with your Jewish friends and neighbours, fight antisemitism and bless your household,” accompanied by a video of her affixing a mezuzah on the right side of her door.
On Monday, the actress claimed her campaign was a “Spartacus moment,” writing “As long as the Jewish people are being attacked, we are all Jewish.”
On US channel Fox and Friends, she explained the campaign in more detail: “Jewish students at college campuses have had a mezuzah on their door, and they’ve been ripped off, they’ve been vandalized, they’ve been found smashed.
“We have to stand up for the Jewish people and for their right to exist, their right to be Jewish and practice their faith,” she said.
