Some Neanderthal Stole My Mezuzah
I got my mezuzah stolen sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning-
When I stepped outside my apartment door and reached to touch it, it wasn’t there. I got nauseated for a second. Really, I thought I was going to puke.
What kind of pinhead would take a mezuzah? Mel Gibson doesn’t live in my complex, so I thought I was pretty safe. In seriousness, I don’t think it was taken for hateful reasons. I think that someone, who knows who, maybe one of the construction guys who are in and out of the place all the time, saw it up there and just on an impulse, ripped it off the doorpost.
I didn’t have it nailed in, I had it up there with sticky tape, so it wasn’t that hard to take. At this point I'm kicking myself for thinking that it would be left alone. Still, I've lived in some real dumps over the years and I've never had one swiped.
The thing that makes me sick about it isn’t losing the 40 bucks or so of what the thing is worth, what is just killing me is worrying about what’s going to happen to the scroll. Some fool is going to unscrew the case, see that there is something written in in, pull it out thinking that there are bank account numbers on it or some-such idiocy, realize that it is not what he thought it was and … into the garbage. I just want to cry.
I’ve looked all over the place. I’ve gone up and down the nearly deserted hallways and stairs looking for it. I dove the dumpster. I’ve spoken with management about this incident and they assured me that one of their people would not have taken it down.
To top it off, my local Judaica shop won’t have any more kosher parchments until Tuesday, so I’m going to have to wait. Then I'll put up a new one on Tuesday afternoon and I'm sure as hell gonna nail it in.
And then what? Will some Neanderthal confuse it for a candy bar and take it again? No, wait, recent evidence about Neanderthals suggests that their level of cultural development might have been rather high.
I got it now. Someone from Craigslist took it.
posted by Amishav @ 3:35 PM
11 comments
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11 Comments:
Amishav, I'm really sorry. I'd feel totally violated if this happened to me. It's simply wrong. So far I've not had an issue with mezuzahs. I hope you have no problems with the next one. Oh, and if your Judaica store doesn't have them (don't laugh), but the local Chabad almost ALWAYS has some. It's what they do ;)
Amishav -
I'm so sorry! I'd be so upset if something had happened to my mezuzot. I sincerely hope this was a thoughtless fluke and you have no further troubles.
Take care!
Aw I'm sorry to hear that people can be total jerks.
I agree with Tamara the local Chabad should have one if the store doesen't come through.
Oh, Ami, that's just awful! I'm so sorry. When you're renting, sometimes your mezzuzah is the only thing that feels like home. Hope you get yourself a nifty new one.
Don't fret too much about the scroll - it is sacred, and will enrich anyplace it lands - even the landfill.
I think you nailes it, it must be the craigslist people. I'm sensing a class action suti for all of their anti-semetic activity. Give me a buzz, Ami, i'll fax you a retainer statement.
Man that blows. I've had several people think the one outside my front door was a bug. I always have to explain and try not to roll my eyes at the same time.
Idiots rule.
I'm sickened to hear about this. I just got a mezuzah but have yet to get a scroll. Since I live in an apartment complex as well I may have to rethink hanging in outside. Unfortunately people don't understand Judaism and the importance of such a thing. You also must feel violated in a way or at least I would.
"Mel Gibson doesn’t live in my complex, so I thought I was pretty safe."
LOL
Seriously, that is awful. I'm so sorry. Well, at least you know to nail the next one to the wall (that goes for whoever you catch trying to steal the next one, too!)
I was often asked about the significance of the Mezuzah ('the thing mounted on every door post')by visitors from abroad when I was working for a large high tech company in Jerusalem. One Japanese engineer even told me that he had traveled all around the world and had never seen such a sensor. The fact that they were mounted on every door made him curious about what made them 'tick' so he used his Leatherman to take one apart and was shocked to find just a 'hand written note' inside instead of a printed circuit board.
when my folks were living in havre de grace, maryland, one of their neighbors thought it was like witchcraft or something. when the neighbors found out that my folks were jews, they were relieved that they weren't witches, but stopped speaking to them since they were jewish.
all of my apartment dwelling has been in brooklyn, and we've never had a mezuzah problem there, for obvious reasons. i wouldn't cave or anything, but if it happens again, i might be tempted to file a report with the police, just to build a case if it (g*d forbid) ever becomes necessary.
I just bought a triplex apartment at a luxury building and my Mezuzah got stolen two days after I put it up. It was a nice silver mezuzah but I am not sure whether it was a simple theft or a hate crime. I am also very disturbed, and want to do something about it but I don't know what.
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