In recent months, a trio of New Jersey towns huddled against the border with New York’s Rockland County have tried to keep the local Orthodox Jewish community from constructing religious boundaries called eruvs that require PVC piping or wooden slats to be installed on utility poles.

Recently, two of the New Jersey towns, Mahwah and Montvale, have settled with the Orthodox community, allowing them to move forward with installation of the religious enclosures where needed. The settlements will remain under the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez of the District of New Jersey. Discussions with the third town, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, are ongoing, but prospects for a resolution that allows for the eruv to go forward remain positive, according to those involved.