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August 15, 2005

Not On Our Doorpost: Chicago Condo Bans Mezuzahs

From the web site of Levenfeld, Pearlstein (Chicago):

.....examples suggest the important ritual and symbolic role played by the mezuzah, an object containing a scroll with words from the Torah which Jews are man-dated to place on the out-side doorpost of their homes and on interior locations. It’s a popularly observed ritual among Jews.

But if the president and board members of the Shore-line Towers Condominium Association at 6301 North Sheridan Road in Chicago have their way, no Jewish residents there will be permitted to affix a mezuzah to their apartment doorposts. Jewish condo residents, upset at being prohibited from observing a fundamental Jewish practice, have been protesting that ban for over a year. They have involved local Jewish religious and legal groups and complained to city and state bodies. Last month there was an emotional confrontation over the issue at a shiva in the building; both sides have retained legal counsel. Howard S. Dakoff, a lawyer involved in the case, has called the condo board’s actions “tantamount to anti-Semitism.”

Yet the condo board and its president — while declining to explain its actions— remains determined to forbid the mezuzah from the hallways of the building.

To see the full article

Posted by joewest at 2:24 PM

August 11, 2005

AZ Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence in HOA Shooting

The Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a man's murder convictions and death sentence in a fatal shooting spree at a homeowners association meeting in Ventana Lakes.

The justices unanimously rejected a wide-ranging appeal that included an argument that Richard Glassel was unfairly denied leniency because jurors heard crime-impact testimony from victims' weeping relatives.

In April 2000, Glassel stormed into a homeowners meeting at the Ventana Lakes clubhouse in Peoria and began shooting. Two people were killed and three were wounded before several bystanders overpowered him.
[Full Opinion]

Posted by joewest at 10:38 AM