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A situation came up for me a couple of weeks ago that I've been downplaying/ ignoring/ trying to find excuses for. I came home from having lunch with my family and found the mezuzah on my side door (the one I always use) smashed; The only thing holding it together was the backing. I tried to tell myself that maybe somehow I hit it with something and broke it, but I touch it every time I come through the door, so I know that hadn't happened. I haven't done anything about it; I didn't even tell anyone today, and then only because of a training I was at that kind of threw the topic in my face. I know it couldn't have been an accident, but it's hard for me to believe it could be anything else. I know my neighbors (mostly), they're all really nice people, I live in a really accepting/ welcoming place, and to think that someone would do something like that deliberately is hard to swallow. So I have a couple of questions. Can anyone come up with some explanation other than deliberate vandalism? If not, what should I do? I've replaced the mezuzah (not that it could ever really be "replaced" - it was a gift from a very dear friend, she had it custom made for me), but I feel violated.
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It could very well be vandalism, unless you had something large delivered recently and the people carrying it accidentally bumped the item into the mezzuzah. But do remember that it need not be anti-Semitic vandalism. There are youth who knock over mailboxes, spray paint walls with their initials, run through flower beds with big heavy shoes, etc. They might not give a hoot if you had a mezzuzah, a pretty garden statue of Saint Francis and the animals, or anything else. There are lots of kids, today, who have little respect for personal property, and use trashing property as a way of expressing their moods of the moment. Unfortunately, however, it could be anti-Semitic, too. But the youth may not reflect their parents beliefs, though some may. My daughter has heard kids -- nice kids -- make terribly anti-Semitic remarks, and not all of their parents would share the sentiments. Some are just expressing hate of anything that isn't familiar, or even hate of themselves. You may find, as well, that some of your neighbors "might" be anti-Semitic, and that is very sad, if it is true. Anti-Semitism isn't dead in America. And certain religious movements seem to fuel it. Some of the kids my daughter has heard anti-Semitic remarks from are the children of Evangelical Christian families, who have basically told them that Jews reject Jesus as their personal Savior, and will go to Hell if they do not change their ways. While the kids are also taught that Jesus preaches love and tolerance, this message somehow gets lost. I know that you are sad about the destruction of the mezzuzah, which was more than just a religious symbol to you. But unless you know who damaged it, there will be little you can do. The good news is that there probably won't be any followup. The Ku Klux Klan is not going to be marching on your lawn, and you aren't going to be dragged from your home and beaten. This seems more like an isolated act of vandalism than an attempt to make you afraid. Sharon
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