Chicago, Illinois - Gov. Signs Mezuzah Law

Chicago, Illinois - Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich signed into law legislation inspired by Chicago Jewish Star reports that some Chicago condominium boards were forbidding the posting of religious objects in doorways, including the mezuzahs traditionally displayed by Jews.

The new law "will guarantee condo owners can freely observe the doctrines of their religion at home, including being able to display objects on their front door," the governor's office said in a statement.

The bill unanimously passed both chamber of the Illinois General Assembly and will go into effect next Jan. 1.
In explaining the need for the new state law, Blagojevich cited an episode from the Jewish Star reporting by its Editor Douglas Wertheimer in which an elderly woman returned from her husbands funeral to find that the mezuzah on her doorway had been removed by her Chicago condominium's management company. The woman, Lynne Bloch, has filed a lawsuit against the condo company, and lodged a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's Office and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.