The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, welcomed a decision this week by the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New York upholding the constitutionality of the recently constructed eruv around Westhampton Beach on Long Island.
The Court ruled that the Long Island Power Authority did not violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution by allowing lechis, or plastic strips that designate an eruv, to be placed on the town’s utility poles. The Court further held that a state entity assisting to construct an eruv is an accommodation to religious freedom condoned and protected by the U.S. Constitution.