Broward County’s human rights board on Wednesday backed a Jewish woman against the condo association that ordered her to remove a mezuzah from her door last year.
A three-member panel of the Broward County Human Rights Board unanimously found reasonable cause to believe the board at the Port Condominium discriminated against lawyer Laurie Richter, 29, when members ordered her to remove the 5-inch mezuzah she had temporarily attached to her doorpost.
The association at the condo, at 1819 SE 17th St. in Fort Lauderdale, “hasn’t shown a legitimate reason for its actions,” Randy Fleischer, chairman of the human rights board, said after the hearing. It is clear, he said, that the condo association exceeded its authority by threatening Richter with a $1,000 fine for attaching something to her door frame.
If the parties mediate or a lawsuit is filed, the Civil Rights Division of the Broward County Office of Equal Opportunity will withdraw from the case, according to Assistant County Attorney Beth-Ann Herschaft. Otherwise, the division will charge the association with violating Richter’s civil rights, which carries a fine of up to $11,000.
(Source: Sun Sentinel)
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7 Responses
I applaud this female lawyer in her attempt to affix a mezuzah on her door.
I had similar trouble putting up a mezuzzah at my condo 20 years ago, but was eventually able to. It was hypocritical too because many of the people who opposed allowing me to do it put wreaths on their doors during holiday season.
Pretty good chance that the condo board members were jewish! Nebbach!
Yes, I have many condo friends. Most of those on the board are Jews. I was going to buy a condo last year. The deal almost went through. It was a forclosure. I loved the unit. It was across the street from my shul, and priced right. It was a gound-floor unit with a rear patio which would have been perfect for a sukkah.
But, the almost all Jewish condo board told me cleary, they will NEVER allow a Sukkah. It was clear that they were ashamed and embarassed by frum Jews, since we make liars out of them when they try to convince the goyim that we are just like them.
I simply walked away from the deal. No Sukkah, no condo. I said, now you have one more foreclosure. Why would I want to live among Jewish Anti-Semites. Now I am in the process of buying a much nicer townhome across the street, even closer to shul.
GOOD FOR HER FOR PERSUING THIS!
waiting for mr illini07 and sinisent etc., to come to the rescue of the condo board..
#7…I believe the story you are thinking of (unless there was another similar case) was in NYC around the turn of the century, to R’ Yaakov Yoseph Herman, as related by his daughter, Ruchama Shain in her book “All For The Boss”. He built a Sukkah, his neighbors complained and the judge ordered him to remove the fire and safety hazard within a week.
A wonderful, spiritually uplifting book in itself…A must read for everyone.