Members of the Jewish community who are not observant may be unaware that the community has an eiruv, a ritual enclosure, that transforms a particular area from a public to a private domain and thus allows people in the community to carry objects and push wheelchairs or strollers in the public areas on Shabbat or holy days. Without the eiruv, these activities would otherwise be forbidden.
The area in Overland Park was originally established in February 1994, around the time that BIAV moved to Johnson County from its longtime Kansas City, Missouri, location. The Overland Park Eiruv, an independent entity supported by four congregations — BIAV, Torah Learning Center, Kehilath Israel Synagogue and Chabad House Center located on Indian Creek Drive — covers an area that encompasses those congregations that is roughly east of 95th Street between Switzer Road and Woodson Drive, North of 103rd Street to Lamar, as well as an area between Metcalf and Nall north of 107th Street and east of 103rd Street close to Chabad House. (For the exact eiruv boundaries, see map page 16.)
BIAV’s Rabbi Daniel Rockoff, who oversees the eiruv, said an eiruv is important to a Jewish community.
“We enable Kansas City to have an area for people who observe Shabbat to be able to carry,” Rabbi Rockoff said. “For people who live here or have visitors who are observant, they know that they have the eiruv they can utilize.”
The Orthodox rabbi said for the past several years the Southeast portion of the eiruv had been non-operational and he is excited that the area is once again operating fully. Repairs were made possible with funding from the Jewish Community Foundation as well as the eiruv’s supporting congregations.
How does an eiruv work? In the old days, neighborhoods were often enclosed by walls and those walls served as the eiruv boundaries. Since that is no longer the case in modern times, new walls must somehow enclose a Jewish community. According to Chabad.org, this enclosure can be created by telephone poles, for example, which act as the vertical part of a door post in a wall, with the existing cables strung between the poles acting as the lintel of the doorframe. As such, the entire “wall” is actually a series of “doorways.” Added to that there may be existing natural boundaries and fences, or in the case of the Overland Park eiruv, a creek.
To create a modern-era eiruv, Rabbi Rockoff explained that whenever possible, existing infrastructure was used.
“Most of the time what we’ll have is a telephone pole and the top will be a telephone wire or a power cable, whatever the wires are that KCP&L uses. What we have to do is attach a piece of material, which is usually plastic PVC piping, that goes up to the telephone wire,” he said. The Overland Park Eiruv does have permission from KCP&L to use the poles and wires.
When using the eiruv, Rabbi Rockoff said it’s important that people pay attention to its actual boundaries. For example, if one is heading to K.I. from the eastern side of Metcalf, the person must cross Metcalf at 103rd Street because only a small area on the west side of Metcalf between Metcalf and where K.I. is located is actually within the eiruv.
Regarding K.I., Rabbi Rockoff pointed out that this is one of the instances where the walls actually had to be constructed.
“A couple of times we literally put up poles, most prominently around K.I. You’ll see all these physical metal poles with wire from one end to the other surrounding K.I.,” he said.
Rabbi Rockoff said some have asked why the eiruv doesn’t extend here or there. Often, he said, the answer lies in the fact that there are no above ground power cables.
“We would literally have to install poles and wires going across big streets. Anything is possible, but obviously it’s a lot more complicated.”
Since the area has been repaired and is now fully operational, Rabbi Rockoff reported that two hotels that were not originally in the eiruv are now included: The Hampton Inn at 10591 Metcalf Frontage Road and the Embassy Suites at 10601 Metcalf Avenue.
Every week the eiruv is physically checked to make sure it is intact and operational. If there are problems, Rabbi Rockoff said contractors are hired to do repairs.
Currently, people who use the eiruv can call the Eiruv Hotline each Friday afternoon, 913-735-3788, to make sure it’s intact. In the near future Rabbi Rockoff hopes a system regarding email or text messaging will be available so “people won’t have to call in to find out if the eiruv is operational.”
The eiruv also has a stamp of approval from the City of Overland Park. In fact, it has two such stamps, in the form of proclamations, issued in February 1994 and again in May 2015.
“You have to rent the area for the use of religious purposes from the mayor of the town or the executive of the county and we got it from the mayor,” explained Rabbi Rockoff. “I was advised since the original proclamation was such a long time ago to get another one. So I met with Mayor Carl Gerlach and gave him a dollar bill as means of renting the area of Overland Park for the duration of 99 years and they sent us a new proclamation. That was a very gracious thing.”
In very similar words to the original proclamation it states:
“Whereas, such recognition is symbolic in nature, does not confer any special property rights to the Jewish Community of Overland Park, but is solely to facilitate their ritual observance of Sabbath laws.
“Now, therefore, I Carl Gerlach, Mayor of the City of Overland Park, Kansas, issue this proclamation in honor of said Jewish Community of Overland Park in Johnson County, Kansas, recognizing their right to consider themselves a communal domain and acceding in the name of the City of Overland Park in Johnson County to the ritual integrity of this domain and designated area of enclosure within the current corporate limits and boundaries of the City of Overland Park.”
As part of the eiruv, there is also a central location where people can get food. The Overland Park Eiruv’s central location is inside BIAV, where there is always a box of matzah that can be eaten any time of year and does not spoil.
“Theoretically anybody could come here and come take a piece of matzah. We change it every erev Passover and say the blessing over it,” Rabbi Rockoff said.