London Eruv going up

To our London readers: EJP: The eruv, which allows orthodox Jews to carry goods on the Sabbath, was granted planning permission by Barnet Council’s Planning and Environment Committee in December 2005. The eruv will be completed in April of this year. Eruv is a series of posts connected with string that fence in an area, making it permissible to carry goods on the Sabbath in that area. Harvey Brown, chairman of the Edgware Eruv Committee, said: “That’s all the red tape and now we can set the thing up. It makes the observance of the Sabbath a little easier. The restrictions on movement are removed.” He added: “Without an eruv, you are not allowed to carry in public or push a pram or wheelchair and that confines people to the house.” Rabbi Benjamin Rabinowitz, of the United Synagogue in Edgware, said that thousands of families would benefit from an Edgware eruv. “It will increase the quality of life in a way that does not impinge on anyone else, Jewish or non-Jewish,” he said. Broad support Councillor Matthew Offord, cabinet member for Barnet Council’s Environment and Transport, paid tribute to the strong cooperation between council officers and Edgware Eruv Committee. He said: “I am pleased that legal hurdles have been cleared and progress has been made over this issue.” The eruv, budgeted to cost the community 15,000 pounds (22,500 euros) a year, was initiated by the Hadas Yisrael congregation in Edgware and supported by the London Beth Din.....