The Jackson Township Council passed a resolution tonight allowing the placement of Eruvs on utility poles.

Mordechai Burnstein of the Jackson Eruv Association tells TLS that this a significant step in the right direction.

“The community appreciates the fact that the Council is seeking to rectify the impasse and enable us to enhance our quality of life in a manner that is not detrimental to any of our friends and neighbors,” he explains.

At the same time, this is merely one step that does not resolve the impasse. While the resolution enables Orthodox residents in several Jackson neighborhoods to construct Eruvs, several neighborhoods must logistically utilize non-utility poles as well. That remains prohibited by the Township ordinance preventing Eruvs in right of way (ROW) spaces, which the Council has yet to reverse. That ordinance remains a subject of the ongoing Agudath Israel lawsuit against Jackson, along with the ordinances limiting school construction and banning dormitory construction. The lawsuit will proceed until the community’s rights are fully met.

Askanim relate that they remain hopeful that all outstanding matters can be resolved at the current mediation stage of the lawsuit, without necessitating the legal battle to be prolonged and costly to taxpayers. The Council’s signal tonight that they are seeking to accommodate the community’s needs makes them hopeful that this will be the case, the askanim tell TLS.