West Hampton, NY – A renewed push for a symbolic Jewish boundary on the East End has sparked a bitter battle between supporters of the religious marker and opponents who brand it divisive.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Led by Manhattan attorney Marvin Tenzer, an Orthodox Jewish group is lobbying to install the boundary — known as an eruv — in West Hampton Beach, Quiogue and parts of Quogue and greater West Hampton.
Demarcated by translucent wire strung along the tops of telephone poles, the eruv serves as a symbolic extension of the Jewish home and allows Orthodox Jews to perform certain outdoor tasks on the Sabbath, such as pushing strollers.
Opponents argue that an eruv would gradually lead to an Orthodox annexation of the East End enclave.
The issue has sparked massive controversies in other areas, including Tenafly, NJ, where eruv supporters prevailed after a seven-year legal battle.
Tenzer, who has already mapped out the roughly five-square-mile area of the eruv and plans to push ahead with the project in the coming months, called the loud opposition alarmist and possibly anti-Semitic.
“Putting up the eruv is not splitting the community; the opposition to it is,” Tenzer said. “There is no downside to it. People won’t even see it. That is what is so egregious about the opposition here. Maybe there is some element of anti-Semitism. I don’t know.”
But Arnold Sheiffer, a Westhampton resident and vocal opponent of the eruv plan, scoffed at Tenzer’s claims.
“There is enormous opposition to it here,” he said. “In the end, this is an effort to contravene the wishes of the vast majority of people who live here.”
Sheiffer, who is Jewish and organized a group called Jewish People Opposed to the Eruv, blasted Tenzer’s claims of anti-Semitism. “We have Holocaust survivors here who are opposed to this,” he said. “That is a ridiculous claim.”
Westhampton Beach Mayor Conrad Teller said he found the eruv effort unsavory. “This is divisive,” he said. “We are a small seaside community where people have always got along. This is dividing us.”
Sinas Chinum. Nothing new. The Freir dont want to see Yarmulkes and shuls. Reminds them of their own sins and transgressions.
This has been going on for years now. At this point it is foolish. If you have such a hard time keeping shabbat without an eruv then move to another place. We have other areas, Jewish communities that have large eruvs. You are well aware of the high standard of living in the Hamptons. You get what you pay for, nouveau riche with a dash of anti-semetism.
holocaust survivors dont have a monopoly on yiddishkeit. im sure somewhere around there are self hating jews who are holocaust survivors. whats with frie yidn and their worship of the churban?
What is so great about the Hamptons? I’ve been there – Long Beach is just as nice.
Mr Sheiffer, nice try.
Anti Semitic doesn’t narrowly translate into “against jews,” as you suggest. It can mean an antipathy to Orthodox Jews as well.
So your “defense” to the charge of anti semitism in that the opposition includes non-orthodox holocaust survivors fails, because anti orthodox jews is blatant anti semitism.
an eiruv doesn’t mean more frum Yidden – in Richmond, VA we have a big eiruv, a few shuls, but very few frum Yidden – maybe 30-40 families or so who are shomrei shabbos in an area that is over 3 miles long and around 2.5 miles wide – and probably 80 percent of them live within a half-mile radius
btw there is an eiruv in Washington, DC which includes the White House yet DC itself has relatively few frum Jews (Silver Spring has a lot, but in traffic those couple of miles take a long time – anyway it is a different eiruv)
It is foolhardy to oppose the eruv and they will only look foolish in court. However, Hashem allows these fools to be exposed like this in an open forum so their sinas chinam comes out in the open for all to see. When a court of law, and most especially when it is headed by a goy proclaims that they are wrong and that they have no reason to object to something they can’t even see their eyes will open to things they can finally see and that is their own foolish attitudes and opinions clearly defined and held up to them and for all to see.
“Opponents argue that an eruv would gradually lead to an Orthodox annexation of the East End enclave.”
This sentence is what anti semitism means! If it were to write the same against blacks, this would be considered (rightfully) racist!
Holocaust survivors are above me, much more holy than me! (even if they’re not as frum). However, they can still not decide AND change anti semitism to anything else! anti semitism is anti semitism if the holocaust denier likes it or not! it does not have to conform to nazi standards to be considered as such.
Yidden should stand together and fight for things that are important to all of us. This should be a non-issue. Even for those who don’t care about being shomer Shabbas, what difference does it make if there is an eruv? It isn’t an obtrusive item – in fact it is almost invisible and you would have to look closely to notice it. If the locals think that the area will turn into a shtetl overnight, they are very much mistaken – particularly with the price of the real estate in the area. It should be allowed to be built out of courtesy for and the convenience of the frum people who reside there already.
We have always been our own worst enemy. Nothing has changed – I just hope that the Eruv will win in the end.
I hate myself, I hate myself, I hate myself. Orthodox Jews are a thorn in the secular worlds thigh. I have seen such actions many times. By seeing orthodox Jews and to Holocaust survivors reminds them of what they threw off. Check homes; home many of the opposition are children of shommer SHabbos Jews; or have children that married out and have no Jewish enjoyment from being Jewish. Try to have them non Jewish family members enjoy a Shabbos or a Meal in a Succah. These same people would not vote against 5 new Mosques being built in this area but an eruv.
An eiruv effort is divisive? Nonsense! The mayor just doesn’t want to deal with it.