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Eruv is a temporary victim of road construction
VICKI CABOT
Contributing Editor
Five plastic canisters are on display in a case in Segal's Kosher Food Market.
No, owners David and Zalman Segal have not decided to add a new product to their line of kosher meats and deli foods. The canisters are those used to mark the borders of the community eruv, an enclosed area where Sabbath proscriptions against carrying and pushing do not apply.
The canisters' temporary removal for safe keeping at the butcher shop signal that the eruv, like most of Phoenix, is suffering "growing pains" - due to ongoing road construction.
"We knew there would be problems on and off all summer," said David Segal, who heads the Phoenix Community Eruv Commission, which spearheaded fund-raising and construction.
The eruv, which opened Nov. 28, serves some 300 Sabbath-observant Jews in the central Phoenix area. It is bordered by the Squaw Peak Parkway on the east, Interstate 17 on the west, the Arizona Canal and Dunlap Avenue to the north and the canal to the south. There are four Orthodox congregations within the area.
Segal said the eruv commission knew of the planned construction on the interstate bridges but decided to go ahead with the project despite anticipated temporary lapses in service.
"We knew it going in, and we had to decide whether to wait three years (until the road construction is completed) or do it now and be able to walk our children to shul."
The eruv allows families to push strollers or wheelchairs to and from synagogue, so that families can worship together on the Sabbath.
Segal explained that when even one of the canisters, made of PVC pipe and plastic tape, must be removed, it disqualifies the entire project.
"It must be one continuous fence," he said.
Segal encourages community members to call the eruv hotline, 277-ERUV, after 3 p.m. each Friday afternoon to find out if the eruv is in place. In the meantime, the canisters, which are expensive to repair or replace, are safely tucked away at the shop.
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