Boulder, CO - New Eruv Completed In Boulder, Colorado

Boulder, CO -- A gathering of about 30 people on Sunday evening at Boulder‘s Salberg Park held a much meaning for the participants. Mainly members of Kahal Aish Kodesh, they were celebrating the completion of an Eruv that encircles the park and a swath of north-central Boulder.

The park is the heart of the Eruv, said R’ Gavriel Goldfeder. He also expects the Eruv to draw more Orthodox Jews to the city. "A young, Orthodox Jewish family would never move here without an Eruv," he said. "It's amazing how fast the word is spreading."

Rachelli Sacks, who lives in Boulder with her husband and two young daughters, said she had to stay home most Shabbosim because she couldn't push a stroller or carry a child and missed taking family walks. With the Eruv complete, she has more freedom. "I feel much more a part of my community," she said.

It took almost four years to get the Boulder Eruv approved and built. The Boulder City Council granted a public right-of-way lease in December to the congregation for the Eruv. Councilman Ken Wilson spoke at Sunday's celebration, crediting the support of Boulder's wider Jewish community with helping secure the council's final OK. "It was very indicative of a community that was sticking together," he said.

R’ Goldfeder jokingly described the Eruv as "a very expensive string." The congregation raised $30,000 to build it, which included the cost of tree trimming and obtaining permits. He also said the Eruv shouldn't be viewed as the exclusive property of his congregation. "We want people to feel like it's their Eruv," he said. "When one part of the community is strengthened, the whole community is strengthened."