The Gilo Eruv
Thanks to relative quiet of the past few years, the concrete wall that was constructed in order to protect the residents of the Southern neighborhood of Gilo is being removed. Ynet is reporting that the concrete wall was part of the eruv around Gilo, and that this section of the eruv must be rebuilt. Having at one point lived in one of the Southernmost apartment blocks of Gilo, I can testify that the eruv existed before the concrete blocks were put in place. We happened to move a few months before the shooting started from the direction of Beit Jalah, good timing. It was a tiny and cramped apartment, but we had one beautiful view overlooking the wadi and into Beit Jalah. I would see the eruv with my own eyes whenever I parked behind the building, and my guess is that when they put up the concrete blocks they had to dismantle part of the eruv in order to make room for them.
Update: According to a report that I just heard on Israel Radio, one of the religious Israeli newspapers is reporting that the eruv was taken down by mistake, and that the concrete wall was never part of the eruv. Whatever may be the story, I am sure that the residents of Gilo will soon be able to carry on Shabbat ke-hilkhato.
Photo by Noam Moscowitz