Which mezuzah should we affix in a building where both Ashkenazim and Sephardim live
Question
There are several families living in the same building, some of them Ashkenazi and some of them Sephardic, and there is a dispute about which mezuzah to affix in the entrance to the building. Everyone wants to hang a mezuzah in the entrance of the building according to his custom. We thought of a solution to hang two mezuzahs, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardic, within the same mezuzah case. Is it permissible to do so?
Answer
It is not possible to place two mezuzot on the same doorpost, due to the prohibition of adding. And since a person of Ashkenazi origin does not fulfill his obligation by using a mezuzah with Sephardi script, but a person of Sephardic origin does fulfill his obligation with an Ashkenazi-style mezuzah, provided that open and closed paragraphs are written according to the opinion of the Rambam, this is the type of mezuzah you should use, and then everyone will fulfill his obligation. “You shall love truth and peace.”