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YOUNGSTOWN -- During a quiet ceremony Tuesday afternoon, a mezuzah was placed at the entrance of the newly renovated Schwartz Judaic and Holocaust Resource Center inside the Jewish Community Center (JCC).
A mezuzah is a handwritten scroll on parchment paper, called a Klaf, that contains verses of text from Jewish scripture in Hebrew, placed inside a decorated case.
Rabbi Seth Sternstein of Temple El Emeth in Liberty led the blessing, which was attended by JCC staff and JCC Early Learning Center pre-kindergarten students.
Liron Daniel, the Israel Engagement Program Coordinator for the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, was on hand to explain to those attending the meaning and purpose of the mezuzah.
"The mezuzah is placed on the right doorpost of Jewish homes. It is placed in every room in a home, except the restroom, and is a reminder of the connection between daily life and God. It is a Jewish tradition. Verses from the Torah are inscribed on a parchment scroll, including a Shema prayer," Daniel said.
She added that the ceremony was performed Tuesday because the rabbi was available, and the reason the mezuzah was added to the doorway of the Schwartz Judaic and Holocaust Resource Center is because of its recent renovation.
"The man of the house usually places the mezuzah in their home, but can call a rabbi to do the ceremony. Some people believe that the mezuzah provides special protection to the residents of the house. The tradition is that when you are entering or leaving the home, you touch the mezuzah with your hand and kiss your hand. You remember the writings inside the mezuzah. It is done to show respect, to show our love for God," Daniel said.
Elise Skolnick, director of communications and marketing for the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, addressed the JCC staff and 5- and 6-year-old pre-K students attending the ceremony.
"A mezuzah is much more than a decorative item on a doorway. It is a sacred symbol of Jewish faith, tradition and identity, reminding us of Jewish values and history and the importance of making every place we enter a place of learning, compassion and respect," Skolnick said.
Sternstein placed the mezuzah on the upper third of the doorway. Typically, the doorway is made of wood, but since the doorway at the JCC is metal, he said he would have to improvise, using double-stick tape to hang the mezuzah instead of nails. He said it needs to be checked every few years to make sure that the writing on the parchment is still intact. He hung the mezuzah after reciting a blessing in Hebrew.
"The mezuzah is an invitation to God to come into our homes and, in this case, to come into our classrooms. If people have an office at work, they put it on the office door. Jews believe that we should always have God's presence with us, whether we are at home or away from home. This being a Jewish environment, we have it in our classroom here," Sternstein said.