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Some Jews are taking down their mezuzahs due to antisemitism. Some non-Jews are putting them up.

JL;DR SUMMARY In response to rising antisemitic incidents globally, such as the attack on a Jewish family in California, a growing number of Jews are reconsidering the visibility of their mezuzahs—the traditional markers of Jewish homes due to fear of targeted violence. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityChabadTraditionCultural AppropriationSolidarityMezuzahCommunity ResponseProtection

Places mentioned

London, England, United Kingdom
"Pro-Palestinian protesters assemble in Hyde Park before a march through central London, Oct. 21, 2023."
Studio City, California, United States
"When a man broke into the home of a Jewish family in Studio City, California, last week yelling antisemitic language and Free Palestine, neighbors quickly honed in on a key detail."
Paris, Île-de-France, France
"A man walks along a building whose facade is covered with Stars of David in the Alesia district of Paris, Oct. 31, 2023."
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"In Canada, an Ontario couple says they believe their mezuzah was a giveaway to vandals who spray-painted antisemitic graffiti on their garage."
Berlin, Germany
"Jews in Paris and Berlin who have expressed concern about Jewish stars being painted on their buildings wonder whether it was their mezuzahs that tipped the vandals off."
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
"Other Chabad rabbis have emphasized that now is an ideal time to put up mezuzahs, an act that they counteracts darkness in the world, and many have taken steps to distribute mezuzahs in their communities."
Bloomfield, New Jersey, United States
"Marc Katz, a rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey, posted on Facebook Tuesday that, in light of Halloween, Jews should consider being extra cautious with how many visible signs of Jewish identity they display on their houses."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
"While current events have seen so many of our neighbours rip off masks to show us the deep rot of systemic antisemitism, it has also blessed Jews by shining spotlights on those non-Jews in our midst who like Susie passed this would you have hid Jews during the Holocaust test, wrote Yoni Freedhoff, an Ottawa physician who tweets frequently on Canadian Jewish issues."

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Retrieved 2025-06-01 05:31:43 UTC
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