French Jewish family told to remove mezuzah outside apartment

(JTA)—The company that manages an apartment complex in France has ordered a Jewish family to remove a mezuzah from the doorframe.

The Foncière Bergé Corp. cited its regulations last week in a letter to the Saada family in Montpelier, in southern France, according to what appears to be a copy published on Twitter.

During a July 5 inspection of the company’s real estate, “a mezuzah was encountered on your doorframe,” Fabienne Nourigat of its rental department wrote to the family in a letter dated July 6. “We remind you that no personal object may be presented in public areas and request you move the mezuzah inside your accommodation. Thank you for your understanding.”

The Eretz news website pointed out that apartments in the same building have doormats on the external side of the door and the occupants have not been requested to remove them.

Jewish religious law and customs require that mezuzahs be affixed to doorframes on the portal’s external side, according to Rabbi Shmuel Shapira of the Israel-based Tzohar Orthodox rabbinical group and others

Foncière Bergé did not immediately respond to JTA’s request for comment on the situation nor to Eretz.