[Tagging] RFC: Removal of Eruvs from OSM, and further boundry=religious

[Shawn K. Quinn]

On 8/22/22 23:25, Evan Carroll wrote:
> First, forgive the message in Markdown this is a post I originally
> made here that I was asked to bring up here 
> https://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/85389/ 
> <https://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/85389/> You can read it
> there if you want to see it rendered.
> 
> An [Eruv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruv 
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruv>) is
> 
>> ritual halakhic enclosure made for the purpose of allowing
>> activities
> which are normally prohibited on Shabbat (due to the prohibition of 
> hotzaah mereshut lereshut), specifically: carrying objects from a 
> private domain to a semi-public domain (carmelit), and transporting 
> objects four cubits or more within a semi-public domain. The
> enclosure is made within some Jewish communities, especially Orthodox
> Jewish communities.
[...]
> Proposal: Deletion ====
> 
> There are four of these on OSM,
> 
> 1. Religious Meyerland Minyan Eruv, Houston, Harris County, Texas, 
> 77096, United States 2. Eruv Chigwell and Hainault Eruv, London
> Borough of Redbridge, London, Essex, Greater London, England, United
> Kingdom 3. Religious United Orthodox Synagogues Eruv, Westwood Park,
> Houston, Harris County, Texas, United States 4. Religious Young
> Israel of Houston - Eruv excluded areas, Houston, Harris County,
> Texas, United States
> 
> Second Proposal ====
> 
> I can't see an area with `boundary=religious` following the spirit of
>  the site. If there is no physical boundary it doesn't belong here.
> Perhaps all these should all be removed.
> 
> * https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag%3Aboundary%3Dreligious 
> <https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag%3Aboundary%3Dreligious> *
> [Overpass Link for 
> `boundry=religious`](https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/1leG 
> <https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/1leG>) (the Catholic example is actually
>  what they're doing in the Philippines, where the diocese polygons
> are in OSM)

Speaking as a lifelong Houstonian, a prolific Houston area mapper (I 
definitely know where #1 is, and would probably be familiar enough with 
the areas where #3 and #4 are), and a non-Jew, I have no problem with 
either keeping these or deleting them, as long as  there is a clear 
community consensus one way or the  other. That community consensus 
should include enough  practicing Jews so as to nullify any claims that 
deletion is being done on anti-Semitic grounds.

That said, if nothing is using the data then there may  not be much 
point, realistically, in keeping the data in OSM.

> 5. This will force us to establish a religion, or an acceptable set
> of religions: what will we do when the Church of Satan sends an
> emissary to a local Jewish temple, and desecrates the ground with a
> verbal curse? Will that range of their desecration be a welcomed
> addition to OSM. Because boundary=religious welcomes this kind of
> trolling.

 From what I understand, the Church of Satan isn't what you think it is. 
They are mainly atheists/secular humanists who use the shock value of 
Satan to show Christians just how offensive some people find Christian 
displays erected under First Amendment grounds. (I realize this is going 
off topic but I felt it needed to be addressed. I would be happy to 
continue this discussion off-list.)

Getting back on topic, I would frown upon such things being added to OSM 
when it is clearly targeting/disrespecting any given religion, even 
those considered widely to be "joke" religions.

-- 
Shawn K. Quinn <skquinn at rushpost.com>