“Protecting those who protect us,” is the tagline of a new project providing mezuzahs free of charge to Maryland’s Jewish men and women in uniform.
Sponsored by the Jewish Uniformed Service Association of Maryland (JUSA of MD), an affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch of Maryland, the campaign, which began earlier this month, is also fostering community awareness and appreciation for the role of Maryland’s police and fire officers.
“The mezuzah is a sign of G-d watching over us. It is important for the police officers, firefighters and members of the military – those who protect the citizens of our city on a day-to-day basis, to have the benefit of the mezuzah,” says Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, director of JUSA of MD.
The community’s financial support for this project, as well as invitations to social and holiday events organized by the JUSA of MD for some 300 Jewish men and women in uniform, are beginning to fill a void that many Jewish officers, especially those living out in rural areas removed from the community, have been feeling.
Yakov Schultz, an MDDF forensic nurse, speaks for others who felt excluded from the Jewish community. JUSA of MD “gives us a community,” he told the Baltimore Jewish Times.
Donated by the Jewish community, the mezuzahs are affixed at no charge to the officers’ homes and office. Included as well is a free-of-charge service to have a scribe examine and repair old mezuzahs.
“I hope this project will bridge the gap that Jews in uniform have been feeling, and will help the lay community understand and be supportive of those who risk their lives on a daily basis,” the rabbi says.
To learn more about the project, click here.
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