Police arrest Sharon man who vandalized Jewish fixture

SHARON, Mass. — Sharon Police have arrested a man who they believe is responsible for vandalizing a prominent Jewish fixture.

Twenty-eight-year-old Yerachmiel E Taube will be charged with malicious destruction of property and destruction to a religious organization.

The Sharon Eruv is a series of poles and strings marking the boundary of the Jewish community for the purpose of carrying items on the Sabbath.

Rabbi Noah Cheses of the Young Israel of Sharon, said he was thankful for the officers who helped to catch the suspect.

"We are incredibly grateful to the Sharon police for their quick and rapid work to bring a suspect into custody," Cheses said. "We really have incredible appreciation for their diligence, and all the good work they’ve done to ensure the well being of the Sharon community, and the Jewish community in particular."

Rabbi Karen Silberman said the suspect knew what he was doing when he destroyed the structure.

"You would have to," she said. "Even people who are Jewish don’t know what an Eruv is."

The lines could easily go unnoticed, but their significance is huge for practicing Orthodox Jews on the Sabbath.

"By making that the definition of a household, you then allow them to carry things from one place to another without violating the rules of the Sabbath," Silberman said.

Silberman said it's against their religion to carry anything from their homes during the Sabbath if those boundaries are torn down.

"It renders them unable to really function on a Sabbath the way they would normally be able to celebrate and function," Silberman said.

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About 40 volunteers constantly make sure the lines are up around town.

Taube is currently in custody and will be arraigned in Stoughton District Court on Monday.

Cox Media Group