Forbidding Religious Item on Apartment Door Leads to a Fine

An owner at the Stone Ridge Estates condominium complex in Dix Hills, N.Y., received a $50 fine on April 8, a month after moving in, for refusing to remove the mezuzah from her front door's frame. The condo bylaws "prohibited residents from changing or altering the exterior of their home without permission, which includes the affixing of signs, advertisements, or statuary," according to a statement from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. A mezuzah is commonly displayed on the doors of Jewish homes. The Dix Hills Homeowners Association, would only allow mezuzahs and Christmas wreaths provided that the unit-owners "purchase a screen door costing between $300 to $500 dollars to conceal the object," according to Cuomo's office.Cuomo's office stated, "This country guarantees every individual the right to express his or her religious beliefs," adding, "The practices employed by the Dix Hills Homeowners Association went against the fundamental protections and promises of our laws, and I commend them for reforming their bylaws and practices to ensure that no resident will be the victim of this kind of discrimination.