A Secret Doorway few know of that has significant meaning to those of the Orthodox Jewish Faith in Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh

 If you go  west down  the Parkway East  I-376   past the Swissvale exit  you pass a secret doorway  you would never know is there .

Its just 2 steel poles with a steel wire run between them set about 20 ft back from the roadway  but its part of several such doorways created to help keep sacred the strict rules of Sabbath for Orthodox Jews in Squirrel Hill. its overgrown with trees now but they are still there

There is also thin wire which runs between telephone poles on Forbes Ave and Murray ave which denote these sacred doorways. Which are kept maintained by a Rabbi

But whats their purpose? 

 

 

Well Sabbath rules are very strict about not doing work so early  every Friday Night in Squirrel Hill 

You would see Orthodox Jews in their trade make hats , long black coats and beards  walking to the local Synagogue with their Prayer books  and shawls maybe an umbrella if its going to rain   so they are there for Saturday services  because once sabbath happens they are not allowed to carry anything outside their homes .

 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat

So then you have a dilemma how can a wife accompany her husband with a young child while walking to temple when its sabbath  ? Because she is also not allowed to push a baby buggy.

Well that's where the Sacred Doorways come in  the local Rabbis got together and agreed to create the doorways which create a virtual wall  there by making all of Squirrel hill and parts of the surrounding community's  as one home .

 

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/is-there-a-wall-around-squirrel-hill-i-recall-reading-a-few-years-ago-that-someone-designated-a-series-of-landmarks-a-wall-so-that-or/Content?oid=1334226

 

https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/pittsburghs-eruv-is-a-long-and-winding-and-often-broken-enclosure/

 

 Known as a Eruvs   this invisible wall now allows these activities during the sabbath.

it is carefully maintained and even a Hotline is established so Jews can report problems with Eruvs  and check to make sure the Eruvs are in full compliance .

https://www.pittsburgheruv.org/

 

So as Paul Harvey  would  say now you know the rest of the story  and God Bless all those of the Jewish Faith.  From a Christian with a Jewish spelled last name.