Joy and Tears at Woodburn: A Mezuzah Affixed at the Delaware Governor's Residence

On one of the coldest days of 2025, approximately 25 people gathered in the warm kitchen of Woodburn — the official residence of the Governor of Delaware in Dover — for an intimate mezuzah affixing ceremony. Governor Matt Meyer and First Lady Dr. Lauren Meyer, together with their son Levi, affixed a mezuzah to the doorpost of their official home.

The full story was written by Rabbi Ellen Bernhardt, JCRC Director and Community Chaplain, for Jewish Living Delaware.

How Delaware's Governor and First Lady Affixed a Mezuzah at the Historic Woodburn Residence

Woodburn is an 18th-century Georgian mansion that has served as Delaware's governor's residence since 1965. Its dining room table bears the seal of the State of Delaware on its china, and portraits of the first ladies of the state hang in the foyer. The home also, reportedly, was a station on the Underground Railroad — a detail that Rabbi Bernhardt noted in her remarks, connecting it to the Hebrew phrase "zacher l'yetziat Mitzrayim," the remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt.

Joining the Governor and First Lady were Rabbi Chuni Vogel, Rabbi Abe Rabinowitz, Rabbi Julie Danan, Cantor Liz Pellen, Josh Schoenberg (co-chair of the JCRC), and Yuval Moha, a community emissary from Israel. Together they formed a gathering that was both communal and deeply personal — an intimate Jewish moment in one of Delaware's most public homes.

In her remarks, Rabbi Bernhardt addressed the Governor and First Lady directly: "Governor Meyer and First Lady, you are public servants, giving up privacy and financial gain. We thank you for your commitment to leading the people of our great State... that this mezuzah which we affix today increases the holy work that you do for this State and for all whom you touch."

The ceremony opened with Hine Ma Tov and closed with Shalom Bayit — peace in your home, peace in the State of Delaware, peace for the entire United States, for Israel, and for the entire world.

What a Mezuzah Declares at a Public Doorpost

A mezuzah contains the words of the Shema — the most important Jewish prayer, affirming belief in G-d — along with the first two paragraphs of that same passage: the commandment to teach Torah to your children, to speak of it in your home and on your way, and to inscribe it on the doorposts of your house and your gates.

At Woodburn, that inscription takes on particular weight. A mezuzah on the doorpost of a governor's official residence is a public statement: that Jewish identity is lived openly here, protected by the law of the United States, and welcomed at one of the state's most historic thresholds.

The Scroll Behind the Ceremony

An intimate ceremony with rabbis, cantors, and community leaders is a meaningful way to mark a mezuzah affixing — but the mitzvah itself rests on the parchment within. The scroll must be written by a certified sofer on proper klaf and carefully checked for errors. Kosher Mezuzah offers scrolls written by certified soferim, double-checked by expert magihim, and backed by OU endorsement — each one fully traceable through a unique QR code.

A Historic Home, A Timeless Mitzvah

Delaware has had a Jewish presence since the 1650s. A mezuzah on the doorpost of Woodburn — placed by a Jewish governor, with rabbis and community members gathered in the kitchen on a cold winter day — is one more chapter in that long story. Small in scale, significant in meaning.

As Rabbi Bernhardt closed: Dosh Shalom Shimronim — May G-d grant peace to the Universe, bring peace to us and to all Israel.

A mezuzah at a historic doorpost deserves a scroll prepared with equal care. Kosher Mezuzah offers OU-certified scrolls written and checked by certified experts — for every doorpost, in every home. Find your kosher mezuzah scroll here.

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