Leaseholders told to remove their mezuzot

A PROPERTY management company has apologised to its Jewish residents for threatening to take their mezuzot down if they did not remove them themselves.

Warwick Estates said on Monday it was sorry for the “over-zealous” letter it wrote last week to residents of Cedarwood Court, near Stamford Hill, which said hanging mezuzot on front doors breached the terms of the residents’ leases and they could be billed if they did not take them down.

One resident said she had never heard anyone complain about the mezuzot in the 10 years she had lived in the area, and the mayor of Hackney said he would intervene.

On Monday, the company backtracked, a day after the JC reported the letter and the anger it had caused.

“We apologise for the letter sent to some of our customers asking them to remove religious items from their property, specifically their mezuzahs,” a company spokesperson told the JC.

“The letter was over-zealous in its nature and not in keeping with our business values... We wish to make it very clear that residents of the block in question are not required to remove their mezuzahs and they will certainly not be removed by Warwick Estates or any representatives working on our behalf.”

Also on Monday, Hackney mayor Philip Glanville wrote to Warwick Estates saying he was “genuinely surprised by the unthoughtfulness of the request”.

In his letter, Mr Glanville acknowledged the company had apologised but wrote: “Warwick Estates’ approach is not in keeping with the values we seek to foster in Hackney as a place that not only celebrates diversity but promotes tolerance and equality.”

Warwick Estates said the letter was sent “by the property manager who was attempting to perform his job in line with his interpretation of the lease”. They added the company was “deeply sorry for any offence we have caused”.

We are deeply sorry for any offence caused