Imagine what Shabbos would be like without taking your glasses and favorite sefer to shul, without your wife coming to shul with a baby carriage, without your son bringing along his “goody bag” which allows you to daven. This would be life without an eiruv. We all have a tendency to take for granted things that are always there. The Five Towns eiruv has always been there. Since its beginning, when the eiruv was maintained through a few shuls headed by the Young Israel of Woodmere and the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, it has always been there. Now, as it has expanded to service each of the Five Towns (including Inwood) as well as the surrounding areas of Valley Stream, Hewlett Neck, and North Woodmere, it is still always there.
Thanks to a very devoted team which meticulously checks on it and cares for its maintenance, the eiruv is always there—even in the face of inclement weather of all types. The commitment of this group of checkers is more than admirable. Volunteer kollel member and bachurim from the Yeshiva Gedolah of the Five Towns go out weekly, checking every string of the eiruv every week. Rain or shine, they adhere to the high standard of kashrus to which it is held. The maintenance team operates with an incredibly high level of dedication and commitment. This may mean doing repairs in the wee hours of the morning, when we are all sleeping comfortably. It can also mean dropping everything on an erev Shabbos or yom tov to check out a potential issue that would compromise the community’s ability to carry. The eiruv is always there.
It’s not just there—it’s there on a standard viewed by communities around the country as a model. Calls pour in from communities around the United States seeking advice, direction, and assistance in creating an eiruv like ours. The book that was published to detail the parameters of the eiruv has also set a standard for eiruv books. There is a constant effort to further upgrade its kashrus and efficiency. All to benefit the Five Towns community and its surrounding areas.
We are the beneficiaries of this wonderful asset to our community. We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to the Yeshiva Gedolah of the Five Towns for their role. We owe an even greater debt of gratitude to R’ Duvie Zomick and R’ Mordechai Picker who have given heart and soul to making sure there is an eiruv (and what an eiruv!) every week. But this doesn’t happen in a vacuum; they need the community to support this resource.
The cost of maintaining such an endeavor is significant. Although everyone involved seeks to minimize the expenses as much as possible, the abundant supplies, truck maintenance, insurance, and labor contribute to a budget that can reach close to $50,000. Severe weather conditions can contribute to an even higher amount. Hurricane Irene alone caused damage that required $5,000 in repairs. Last year they sent out a mailing and all of the funds were used for this year’s eiruv maintenance. They are now sending another mailing from the Five Towns eiruv committee. They need the money to insure uninterrupted eiruv service. Please respond warmly, generously, and appropriately at least as much as last year. We all benefit from the Five Towns eiruv; we must all participate to keep it running. Why wait for a “down Shabbos” to appreciate what we have? Let’s keep the eiruv and our shmiras Shabbos up and running . . . together!