Eruv (pl. Eruvin)
An eruv, translated from Hebrew as “mixture,” is a shared urban space—a physical and psychological enclosure—in which observant Jews are permitted to carry objects and perform daily tasks such as pushing baby strollers on Saturdays and religious holidays without violating the fourth commandment’s prohibition against “work” on the Sabbath. The boundary marked by eruvin might include walls, roads, utility poles and wires, and natural features such as waterways. Maintaining the integrity of an eruv requires weekly inspection and upkeep.*
The first eruv in Charleston was created in 1994 around the West Ashley neighborhood of South Windermere, with the downtown eruv, enclosing part of the peninsula, following in 1998. A third eruv was created in 2006 around the neighborhood of what would become Congregation Dor Tikvah.
* Barry L. Stiefel. “Community Eruvin: Architecture for Semi-Public/Private Neighborhood Space,” in Community-Built: Art, Construction, Preservation, and Place, Katherine Melcher, Barry L. Stiefel,and Kristin Faurest, eds. New York: Routledge, 2017, 85–101.
Eruvin serving downtown and South Windermere
