helemon
18th November 2006, 08:40 PM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20061024-1310-wst-seasidesynagogue.html
Orthodox Jews cannot do work or certain physical tasks outside the home on their day of rest and prayer, which begins at sundown Friday and ends at nightfall Saturday. The restrictions include carrying objects or pushing strollers and wheelchairs.
“It's a major social inconvenience,” said Lea Geller, who dreads spending Saturdays indoors with her newborn while her family walks to pray at the Pacific Jewish Center.
The way around these restrictions for some Orthodox Jews is an “eruv” – a Hebrew word for the symbolic extension of an area considered private into the public domain. Within this area, they can move about normally.
Efforts to enclose much of Santa Monica, Venice and Marina del Rey began in 2002. The final step would be linking about four miles of beachfront and an inland area to the current eight-mile patchwork of chain link fences or walls along the freeways and major roads. Completing the eruv along the coast would entail stringing 200-pound test fishing line between lamp posts and 20-foot steel poles extending above 19 welcome-to-the-beach signs.
This is hilarious! They are trying to find a loop hole to get around observing the Sabath! If they can create an "eruv" that includes public property why not just say the entire world is an "eruv"? Why not just do away with this law if you are unwilling to abide by it. I mean really, how does a fishing line change anything?
Orthodox Jews cannot do work or certain physical tasks outside the home on their day of rest and prayer, which begins at sundown Friday and ends at nightfall Saturday. The restrictions include carrying objects or pushing strollers and wheelchairs.
“It's a major social inconvenience,” said Lea Geller, who dreads spending Saturdays indoors with her newborn while her family walks to pray at the Pacific Jewish Center.
The way around these restrictions for some Orthodox Jews is an “eruv” – a Hebrew word for the symbolic extension of an area considered private into the public domain. Within this area, they can move about normally.
Efforts to enclose much of Santa Monica, Venice and Marina del Rey began in 2002. The final step would be linking about four miles of beachfront and an inland area to the current eight-mile patchwork of chain link fences or walls along the freeways and major roads. Completing the eruv along the coast would entail stringing 200-pound test fishing line between lamp posts and 20-foot steel poles extending above 19 welcome-to-the-beach signs.
This is hilarious! They are trying to find a loop hole to get around observing the Sabath! If they can create an "eruv" that includes public property why not just say the entire world is an "eruv"? Why not just do away with this law if you are unwilling to abide by it. I mean really, how does a fishing line change anything?