Jon Stewart is at it again. It seems like every month or so, they pull out an exclusively Jewish segment that must confuse many of their non-Jewish watchers. And last night was no exception.
I didn’t actually know anything about this story prior to the expose last night. But it’s kind of messed up. The Orthodox community (I guess not exclusively Orthodox, but the campaign is being led by the Orthodox) in the Hamptons has been pushing to get an eruv set up in area so that shomer Shabbat Jews could carry things on Saturday.
Not a big deal. There are eruvs set up all across the country and most people don’t even know they are there. I’d even place a bet that 99% of non-Jews (and probably most Jews) who live within an eruv, don’t even realize it. Why? Because eruvs are next to invisible.
However, there are a bunch of anti-religious Jews in Westhampton, New York who are campaigning to not allow the eruv to be built. Within all their veiled reasoning is that they plain and simply don’t want religious Jews moving into their community. Hatred. Plain and simple. Here is the story in more detail.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t make fun of it.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Thin Jew Line | ||||
| www.thedailyshow.com | ||||
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eruv
Pronounced: ERR-oov, Origin: Hebrew, a physical boundary that allows observant Jews to carry needed things (and push strollers) in public on Shabbat despite the traditional prohibition on carrying.
Shabbat
Pronounced: shuh-BAHT or shah-BAHT, Origin: Hebrew, the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
shomer
Pronounced: sho-MARE, Origin: Hebrew, a guard, usually referring to someone who sits with a dead body before the funeral.
