A Parisian Jewish family has been ordered by their building's management to remove the mezuzah from their doorway.
In an official letter, the L'Ami Immobilier Conseil agency of the company Century 21 formally requested that the family remove the item and "restore the door frame to its original condition within fifteen days from receipt of this letter."
The property company said the mezuzah had been installed on the exterior frame of the apartment door in Villeneuve-la-Garenne "without any authorization."
The company said that the exterior frame of landing doors constitutes a common area of the building, and that any modification, regardless of its nature, requires prior authorization from the general assembly of co-owners.
The letter accused the family of contravening Article 9 of the Law of July 10, 1965, which requires each co-owner to use the common areas without infringing upon the rights of other co-owners or affecting the building's purpose and aesthetic appearance.
Consequences if the family doesn't comply
If the family fails to return the door to its original condition within this time period, the co-owners’ association can carry out restoration work at the "exclusive expense of the co-owner concerned, without prejudice to any claim for damages."
The company claimed the letter was sent "independently of any personal or religious consideration" and was made solely to comply with the co-ownership rules and applicable regulations.
In response to various tweets on the subject, Century 21 posted a statement saying its customer service department is handling the matter and "has already contacted the agency in order to determine the circumstances under which this letter was sent."
"Century 21 France obviously does not endorse this type of letter, and even less any form of discrimination," the company said, urging people to wait for a response from the agency and its explanations.