If Patricia Wilson's opposition to eruv poles is based on her fears of telegraph poles being struck by lightning can we expect she will be vigorously campaigning for the removal of lampposts, mobile phone antennas and traffic lights on the same basis? (How much tolerance are eruv supporters showing?', Times Letters, November 22).

Furthermore, it appears Ms Wilson is confusing the issue of houses forming the eruv's notional boundaries with the requirement to put up supplementary poles. The boundary is notional, invisible, physically non-existent, it does not affect anyone's property and does not need to be put up by the council or anyone else.

Finally, exactly how does putting up some unobtrusive poles and imperceptible wires turn an entire borough into a quasi-Jewish domain any more than putting up Christmas trees and strings of festive lights turns an area into a quasi-Christian domain? There are eruvs worldwide in cities such as Sydney, Ottawa and St Louis and no one has ever suggested these places are quasi-Jewish.

Micah Levy

Churchill Road, Edgware

December 5, 2001 11:30