An Orthodox Jewish group is accusing township officials in Mahwah of being anti-Semitic in the wake of the fight against eruv.

PVC piping attached to more than 100 utility poles owned by Rockland Electric have become the center of the controversy. The pipes act as a boundary enabling Orthodox Jews to do certain outdoor activities on the Sabbath.

The Bergen Rockland Eruv Association says that the eruv presents no safety, traffic or other community concerns.

The eruv are an extension of the boundary for the Orthodox community across the state border in New York. Some Mahwah residents have spoken out against the eruv and say that they don’t want it extending into their town.

“We're not anti-Semitic, we have nothing to do with religion,” says resident Vince Crandon. ”It's someone that came up in the middle of the night and started installing PVC pipe without anyone's knowledge."

Crandon is among those who believe the pipes are not a legitimate eruv. He says that it violates a town law that no signs can be placed on utility poles.

“As a resident of Mahwah I can't even put up garage sale sign, I can't attach balloons to utility poles. I can't do any of that,” says Deborah Kostroun with the group Mahwah Strong, which opposes the eruv.

Police say that a number of the pipes have been cut. The incidents are now being investigated as a possible bias incident.

Mahwah officials have said that summonses would be issued if the pipes weren’t removed. This caused the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association to sue the township.

An attorney for the group says in a statement, “It's obvious that part of the opposition is to Orthodox Jews moving into the Mahwah area."

The township is set to start giving out summonses on Friday.