Source: The Boston Globe
On May 29, 2005 The Boston Globe reported, "in a convergence of real estate and religion, home values in Sharon are determined not only by school quality, waterfront views, and commuter rail proximity. There is the added factor of a home's positioning in or out of the symbolic enclosure known as an eruv, defined in Judaic religious law as an area where observant Jews are freed from the Sabbath prohibition on carrying items -- whether a prayer book or a baby. The added price of a home in the eruv is considered by many observant Jews in Sharon a built-in cost of faith, akin to paying more for kosher foods or private Jewish day schools. But in a heated real estate market, the eruv is a pocket-buster for some, adding as much as 10 percent to the price of a home, according to realtors, particularly if the home is close to the synagogue."