Homeowner associations have all kinds of rules. Thereās rules about fences, house colors, pools, sheds and even outdoor decorations. A West Ashley couple is fighting its HOA over a flagāan Israeli flag.
Keith Woodard and his wife Susanna Agrest-Woodard are Orthodox Jews and have lived in Carolina Bay for three years. Like their neighbors, they fly an American flag, but when Woodard put up an Israeli flag to observe a Jewish holiday, he found itās a violation of HOA rules. Woodard took to social media to vent his frustration.
āI said this was in support of my ethnicity, my religious belief, and my observance of various holiday and festivals that Jews celebrate throughout the year,ā he said in a video.
They said HOA letters turned into finesānow $25 a month.
āThey said no, this has nothing to do with your religion, weāve sent other letters to other people,ā said Agrest-Woodard. āLook, this is as simple as, this is my property, my right.ā
They submitted a request for religious exemption, but said that request was denied. They feel itās unfair since their neighbors are allowed to decorate for Christmas, a Christian holiday. Agrest-Woodard said the flag is not just a religious symbol.
āThis is the point because not only Christians live here,ā she said. āThis is confusing because some people view Judaism as religion only, but immigrants from other nations donāt, they view it as an ethnic background, as a genetic background. Itās food, itās family, itās tradition, itās a lot of things.ā
She said the flag was initially put up on a temporary basis. But now, theyāre making a statement.
āIām from Soviet Union where we were afraid and a lot of people grow up still being afraid,ā she said. āBut being in America, we shouldnāt be afraid.ā
In the end, itās up to the HOA Architectural Review Board to approve or deny requests. The owner of Community Management Group, which manages 120 communities told us itās not unusual for an HOA to have standards for things like flags, each owner agrees to a certain set of rules when they purchase a house.