The program will feature a presentation by Stamford Eruv Association President Arthur Smith, who will discuss the specific boundaries of the Stamford Eruv, and how it was constructed.  Smith will also present a video showing parts of the Stamford Eruv, so that attendees can actually see the  the eruv and its boundaries.

The second portion of the program will feature a presentation by Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, the author of "The Contemporary Eruv" and a world class expert on the subject.  He will discuss some of the specific halachot relating to eruv, and how it allows one to carry objects on the Sabbath, even though this is one of the specific prohibitions of the Sabbath.

The Torah prohibits carrying on Shabbat between a public domain and a private domain or for more than four cubits in a public domain.  However, the Torah permits carrying on the Sabbath within an enclosed "private" area. Public domains are typically non-residential areas, such as streets, thoroughfares, highways, etc.  Private domains are residential areas and can be deemed to be "closed off" from the surrounding public domains.  The rabbis of the Talmud developed a means to render a larger area as a private domain by surrounding it; such an enclosure is called an eruv.

 "Many people in our community rely on the eruv, but often take it for granted-and very few are knowledgeable about the specifics," said Michael Feldstein, a past President of the Stamford Eruv Association and the organizer of this event. "This program will allow people to better appreciate the myriad of details that are involved in making an eruv, and provide a greater appreciation for the effort needed to build and maintain a community eruv."

The Stamford Eruv was completed in 1984, and has functioned continuously since then with only minor modifications.

The program is free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Michael Feldstein at michaelgfeldstein@gmail.com or 203-973-6279.