Mill Hill eruv goes ‘live’ after years of waiting

Mill Hill residents have spent the first Shabbat inside their long-awaited eruv, after it went ‘live’ on Friday.

Matthew Offord MP and Councillor Sury Khatri joined community members in celebrating the opening of the ritual enclosure, which will let Orthodox Jews walk from Stanmore to Hendon and Golders Green and then on to Hampstead Garden Suburb on Shabbat.

The boundary stretches from Apex Corner in the north, to Five Ways Corner (NW4) in the south, and from Mill Hill East to the M1 motorway, but amid the joy, there were questions as to why it took seven years to complete.

“There were times we doubted it would ever go live,” said Eruv Committee Chair Gill Gallick. “Many large site reconstructions in Mill Hill kept us on our toes and regularly presented us with new problems.”

Mill Hill Synagogue Chairman Jason Greenspan said: “This Shabbat, I saw our members welcome the eruv with open arms and we are very excited for all the positive implications this Eruv will have not only for our community, but the benefits for the wider North West London Jewish community.”