BROOKLYN, NY — According to a new report leaked Friday by London’s Jewish Chronicle, properties bearing mezuzahs on their doorposts are selling for 10,000 pounds more than their equivalents without the parchments.
Real estate agents throughout all areas of the city have noticed the surge since October, when homes and apartments with mezuzahs have garnered considerably more. Though it is unclear why this phenomenon exists, retailers across London have also seen an increase in mezuzah sales—and not only to Jewish customers.
A Mezuzah Mystery
BROOKLYN, NY — According to a new report leaked Friday by London’s Jewish Chronicle, properties bearing mezuzahs on their doorposts are selling for 10,000 pounds more than their equivalents without the parchments.
Real estate agents throughout all areas of the city have noticed the surge since October, when homes and apartments with mezuzahs have garnered considerably more. Though it is unclear why this phenomenon exists, retailers across London have also seen an increase in mezuzah sales—and not only to Jewish customers.
In the U.S., Rabbi Dovid Okunov, associate director of Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (known as F.R.E.E) noticed a similar trend across the Tri-State area. His Brooklyn based office has fielded calls for over 200 mezuzahs in the last month, where usually they sells 50.
“I believe that many of those whom we visited have been interested in kosher mezuzahs, because they want to be more protected physically, and connected spiritually,” explains Okunov.
“Also, the current economic crisis has been a wake-up call for many young Russian-Americans that it may be a good time to connect in a more spiritual way.”
Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Hodakov served as director of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, Machne Israel, and the Kehot Publishing Society for 40 years. An immigrant from Russia himself, Rabbi Hodakov believed strongly in making mezuzahs available to newcomers—but with a catch. “He told my father,” recalls Okunov, “that he must charge a minimal amount for each mezuzah [if the family could afford it].”
