By Joshua Francis

The construction of an eruv is stirring some controversy in several West Los Angeles beach communities, according to the Los Angeles Times. An eruv in Jewish tradition is a “living barrier” that creates an area in which Orthodox Jews can perform certain acts on the Sabbath. Yet the report is a bit unclear as to the purpose of the eruv, and fails to provide background on the religious reasoning behind it.

Though there are several eruvim in the L.A. area, Times staff writers Sharon Bernstein and Martha Groves fall short of offering an adequate definition of what an eruv is. Forming a single unbroken boundary, an eruv has implications for a variety of activities, including cooking, carrying things, even walking (when it involves pushing strollers or keeping keys in your pocket). While the report does mention that the construction of the “L.A. Coastal eruv” would ease restrictions on these acts, it says nothing at all about why such restrictions exist in the first place.

Worse than this lack of background information, however, is the fact that the report delays discussion of the real story: the conflict between Orthodox Jews and local bureaucrats. While L.A.’s Orthodox community argues that the eruv will boost the presence of religious Jews observing Shabbat, the one group opposed, the Coastal Building Commission, claims the eruv will spoil public properties in Santa Monica with miles of wires that impair ocean views and endanger wildlife.

But how does something the “size of a fishing line” obstruct the view of oceanside homes? The Times story offers little explanation from the opposition, presenting the construction of the eruv, regardless of the criticism, as all but common sense. Whether or not that is so, it would have been courteous to give the Coastal Building Commission more room in the story to argue its case.

Joshua Francis is a student at the University of Southern California.