When Manette Mayberg, a Maryland-based philanthropist, held an event in her home in 2014 for people involved in her family foundation, a woman fell after leaning on a faulty railing and was badly hurt. Mayberg’s rabbi, to whom she turned for spiritual support, suggested she check all the mezuzahs in her house. It turned out that a letter in the Hebrew word for “and your gates” on one of the scrolls featured a broken line. The same word, u-vish-arecha, on a scroll in the home of the injured guest contained a broken letter as well.

A mezuzah—a parchment scroll containing two portions from Deuteronomy rolled up and encased in a protective cover—is affixed to a doorpost not only to signify a Jewish dwelling, but also, according to tradition, to protect its inhabitants. Some Jews put up a mezuzah at their front door only; others place them on most interior doorposts, too. After the accident, Mayberg became determined to protect as many Jews as she could going forward and, in 2018, helped fund the launch of the MyZuzah initiative.

For any self-identifying Jewish person looking to affix a mezuzah to a doorpost, MyZuzah will provide a clear plastic case and kosher scroll free of charge. Since launching its inaugural campaign, over 20,000 free mezuzahs have been placed in 74 countries.

“Our mission is to connect, protect and unite the Jewish people through this tradition,” said Alex Shapero, MyZuzah program director.

MyZuzah has since expanded its offerings to artistic mezuzahs for purchase and, since October 7, to what it is calling a “solidarity mezuzah” for Jewish community allies.

The latest initiative came after Patricia Heaton, a Catholic actor and pro-Israel stalwart, reached out to the MyZuzah team last summer after she had urged her non-Jewish followers on social media to put up mezuzahs as a sign of allyship. The organization then designed the solidarity mezuzah—a clear plastic case containing a rolled-up yellow ribbon rather than the customary scroll.

“It doesn’t run afoul of any Jewish law,” Shapero said of non-Jews placing these unofficial mezuzahs, “and is a way for allies to show that they’re standing with the Jewish people and are calling for a just end to the conflict. While we want to focus on our core mission of providing kosher mezuzahs to Jewish homes, at the same time, there is such a desire to help from the ally community that we wanted to give them something actionable and visible as well.”

Alexandra Lapkin Schwank