Dozens of mezuzahs were systematically torn off the front doors of entire buildings in the luxurious Talbiye neighborhood of Jerusalem, and to date, no suspects have been found, Srugim reported Wednesday.
What appeared at first as isolated incidents, turned out to be a widespread attack on dozens of homes on Washington and Lincoln streets, as well as the main streets of King George and Keren Ha’Yessod, according to Srugim. Despite its network of security cameras, as befits a prestigious neighborhood near the Prime Minister’s official residence on Balfour Street, Police still have no clue who done it.
A student named Aviad told Srugim: “I woke up this morning and realized that the mezuzah was not on the door. When I left the house, one of the neighbors asked if there was any chance that my mezuzah had also dropped. I went through the entire building and realized that this is a widespread phenomenon of tearing off mezuzahs.”
Aviad posted in the neighborhood’s WhatsApp and Facebook groups and received many responses from residents who discovered that this was widespread vandalism. “I contacted the police, and they said I should come to report at the station, but after many residents had reported by phone, the police arrived to investigate, but have no findings yet.”
Talbiye may be a luxurious neighborhood, but many residents are students who share apartments, and, naturally, lobbies are more easily accessible and security is laxer.
Vandalism involving ripping out mezuzahs is usually associated with antisemites abroad. In Israel, hostility to religious Jewish symbols is characteristic of the left, which has recently increased its campaign against religious coercion, a.k.a. “hadata,” loosely translated as “making religious.”
UPDATE: April 30th, 2023: A suspect has been arrested by police. The suspect has not been identified.
