Hampstead, London - Jewish Community Planing Eruv

Hampstead, London - Plans are being drawn up to create an Orthodox Jewish boundary - an eruv - around Hampstead.

Local rabbis, led by a Jewish court the London Beth Din, want to build one around Hampstead Village and another in St John's Wood.
A spokeswoman for the London Beth Din said: "Religious experts are looking at the possibility. It is a complex thing and it takes time to set up."

The first introduced Eruv was in the UK in North West London around Golders Green, Hampstead Garden Suburb and Child's Hill. It went up in March 2003 after a 13-year battle between supporters and critics. Elizabeth Lawrence from Wentworth Road, Golders Green led the campaign to stop it.
She said: "It is totally unacceptable and offensive. If Jews want dispensation from rules they could go to the Rabbi and ask for them. The majority of the objectors were from the Jewish faith. "It is very offensive particularly for survivors from the holocaust who got away from poles and wires."

But Rabbi Dr Reuven Hammer from New London Synagogue, Abbey Road, said: "I would be very pleased to have one in this area. It makes life a lot simpler - this is not going to impose on anyone else in any way whatsoever.