VENICE BEACH — Representatives of the Pacific Jewish Center on Ocean Front Walk and the California Coastal Commission have worked out a deal to install an eruv — a symbolic area that extends the homes of Orthodox Jews — along the beach, stretching from Santa Monica to Marina del Rey.
The request was formally approved on Thursday, but with two additional conditions issued by the Coastal Commission.
Within an eruv, Orthodox Jews may carry their keys and push strollers or wheelchairs while walking to synagogue on the Sabbath. Without such a symbolic area, their ability to function outside their homes is limited.
The eruv will consist of fishing line attached to existing street lights and to 20-foot-high metal pole extenders atop Los Angeles County information signs located along the beach. The eruv will roughly encompass the area created by the boundaries of the beach from Santa Monica to Marina del Rey, and the I-90, I-405 and I-10 freeways.
The line will be attached to existing fences and freeway walls to complete the enclosure.
The new conditions placed on the Pacific Jewish Center by the commission involve the development of a plan to monitor the health of the least tern — an endangered bird — and of other birds that customarily feed in the lagoon, according to Pam Emerson, a representative from the South Coast District office of the Coastal Commission. The plan would have to be approved by the Coastal Commission’s executive director before the installation of the eruv could move forward.
The original conditions contained in the report included attaching streamers to the fishing line between Hurricane Street and Via Marina in Venice — the nesting area of the least tern. The streamers are supposed to make the line more visible for the birds so that they do not hurt themselves flying into it. The Pacific Jewish Center would also have to paint the metal poles to minimize their visibility; monitor and replace any fallen lines or poles within 24 hours; provide a 24-hour contact number to city, county and coastal staffs; and post the number on Los Angeles County information signs.
The recommendation for approval of the project is limited to three years, but the Pacific Jewish Center may ask for an extension at the end of that time.
Other eruvin (plural for eruv) are located throughout Southern California, including one that encompasses much of the Westside, and ones in Irvine and the San Fernando Valley.
The Coastal Commission staff had initially rejected the request to install an eruv because of the potential impact on public access and public views of the beach, in addition to the bird concerns. But the Jewish Center’s proposals to resolve those problems led to the recommendation of approval last month by the staff.
With the new conditions, the installation will be postponed until the Jewish Center can put together a plan with the help of environmental experts, according to Howard Shapiro, project manager for the eruv. Also, the original cost of the installation was estimated at around $20,000, but that number may now change.
Some people had expressed concern to the Coastal Commission about a religious group using public property. However, the commission had decided that the issue was the concern of the owners of the public property, not of the Coastal Commission, and that the commission should confine its decision to the environmental impact, according to Emerson.
