Chabad's 'fishing line' dragged under

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers CUT--Chabad said they didn't like the way the eruv was attached to poles and lights, such as this one on Lindero Canyon Road. The fishing lines are gone but not the anger in Oak Park.

Nearly 100 people attended an Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council meeting on Tues., Jan. 23 to discuss the Jewish "eruv," a symbolic enclosure that is used to guide the movements of Orthodox members on the Sabbath.

The wires, strung from light poles in Oak Park, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, upset many Oak Park residents, who didn't know about the project until it was seen throughout the neighborhoods. Concerns also arose about the aesthetics of the monofilament lines and their danger to birds.

Project organizers had received approval from the cities of Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, and a permit from Ventura County, but failed to receive permission from Southern California Edison to place the lines on the light poles in Oak Park. The eruv has now been taken down.

"We are sorry that mistakes were made and that the eruv was put up in a way that was unacceptable to you and to us," said Eli Eisenberg, a representative from a Jewish Chabad committee that handled the project.

Eisenberg said the eruv was a victim of incorrect installation and improper paperwork. The Los Angeles contractor that put up the lines made mistakes that were not discovered until after the project was completed, Eisenberg said.

Despite Eisenberg's repeated apologies, many people at the meeting had harsh words for him.

"I have nothing against your religion but your apology sounds disingenuous," said Tom Hughes, president of the Morrison Estates Owners Association, in Oak Park.

"This disturbs me greatly," said Carol Rosenberg of Agoura Hills. "Something is wrong when a group puts up poles in the name of religion. We have to respect our neighbors. We have many religious groups in the community and they're not all Jewish."

Others questioned why an eruv was needed in the first place. One man, who expressed concern over the eruv being a religious symbol, suggested the Christian answer would be to put "crosses on everything."

One resident spoke in support of the project.

"If they're going to go through the right process, the right permits, I don't see why they can't do this," Marc Franklin said. "I want to see what they propose. I see both sides of the coin."

Eisenberg said if another eruv is considered he would include the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) and the residents of Oak Park in the discussions.

"If we can't come up with something that works for everyone we just won't have it," Eisenberg said.

About 120 Orthodox families live in the Agoura/ Westlake/Oak Park area, and while the eruv doesn't allow driving within its perimeter, it does allow members to walk and to push strollers and wheelchairs.

MAC Member Deena Parry was upset that county officials failed to contact the Oak Park governing body before the eruv permit was issued.

"This is not the first time people thought they were doing the right thing, spent a lot of money on a project and then spent a lot of money to take it down," Parry said. "We have to keep reminding them that we do represent the community."

This is the first time Ventura County has approved an eruv, County Supervisor Linda Parks said.

"In the future these projects will be looked at more carefully," Parks said.

MAC Chair Todd Haines recalled that eruv organizers had attended a MAC meeting 2½ years ago to describe the project.

"They disclosed to us what they were going to do and they didn't have to," Haines said.

In many areas the eruv uses existing boundaries such as mountains and fences. The string is installed where there are gaps. Eruvs exist in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach and Hollywood.

"If we are ever going to do this again we would find a way not to go through residential neighborhoods and not to be obtrusive," Eisenberg said.