Plans Made to Build Eruv for Jewish Cambridge Residents

January 16, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On January 16, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on plans to build an eruv in Cambridge by the summer. "An eruv is a physical entity, an enclosure of walls and fences and plastic wire strung between utility poles." It is "a large, symbolic household. Orthodox Jews, or others who strictly observe the Sabbath, do not 'carry' outside the house between sunset Friday and sunset Saturday, unless they live within an eruv." With an eruv, families can all attend synagogue together and visit friends on their day of rest. One Jewish Cambridge resident, Stephen Bickel, said that "having mobility is really transformative for a community, especially since Shabbat is the main time people devote to communal activities." Many have moved out of Cambridge because of the lack of an eruv. Eruvim have, however, become controversial in some towns across America. "Some might think it's weird or illogical," explained Bickel. "There's also a fear going back to the Holocaust that you don't want Jews to be visible at all."