From the article: > The eruv is funded entirely by the Jewish community, with a considerable portion of that support coming from wealthy philanthropists. So,

From the article: > The eruv is funded entirely by the Jewish community, with a considerable portion of that support coming from wealthy philanthropists. So, no, you're not paying for this. I'm quite sure that any religion that wanted to fund the cost and follow the proper permitting procedures could similarly run wires for religious purposes, otherwise NYC would have a First Amendment problem. But I don't think any other religions want to run wires for religious purposes. And yes, other religions can and do use public space in myriad ways too. As for encroaching on others, the eruv doesn't really encroach on anyone - I'm a secular Jew who has lived in NYC for most of my life, and while I've heard about this before, I've never actually noticed it in person, even when I've probably been within eyesight of it.