A Mezuzah on the Door

A Mezuzah on the Door
By: Amy Meltzer and Illustrations by Janice Fried

(Meltzer, Amy. A Mezuzah on the Door. Minneapolis: Kar-Ben Publishing, 2007.)

A Mezuzah on the Door is a story about moving away to a new home and missing familiar people and the little things that make a home. Noah is a young Jewish boy who learns about the comforts of friendship even when friends are far away. The family celebrates a Hanukkat Habayit to celebrate their new home that they recently moved into. They invite all their new and old friends to come and celebrate by placing the Mezuzah on the door to the house and on all the doors to their rooms. After the Hanukkat Habayit, Noah is able to sleep in his new house not feel lonely.

Meltzers book centers on the Jewish tradition of dedicating a new house. The reader gains knowledge on how to perform this ritual as well as what it means for Jewish people. This book enlightens a non Jewish reader on this very special tradition and provides insight into its purpose.

People of all religions can relate to Noah’s experience of moving to a new home. People move all the time and struggle with missing their old home. The underlying theme in this book is that even though someone moves away, people close to them are always close to their heart and won’t be forgotten. Diversity is limited in this story because there are no non Jewish characters.