The Washington Jewish community has been rocked by allegations against leading Rabbi Barry Freundel of the Kesher Israel Congregation in Georgetown. Freundel is accused of using a secret camera to film Jewish woman engaged in the ritual bath known as a Mikva.
Freundel (shown above from a YouTube clip), is now criminally charged. He is viewed as one of the leading experts on Jewish law and ethics and “an intellectual giant” in the Jewish intellectual circles. Freundel heads the conversion committee of the Rabbinical Council of America and is vice president of the region’s Vaad, overseeing kosher dietary laws at Jewish institutions. He has a law degree and a doctorate and is affiliated with several area universities, including Georgetown University’s law school, the University of Maryland and Towson University, north of the Baltimore.
Ironically, the synagogue is part of Judaism’s modern Orthodox movement that has tried to accommodate the rise of women in leadership. His wife, Sharon Freundel is the leader of Kesher’s monthly women’s study and prayer group as well as the director of Hebrew and Judaic studies at the Jewish Primary Day School. She was in the courtroom with one of their three children for the arraignment.
His congregation includes U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and longtime U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.
One alleged victim, Emma Shulevitz, 27, said that she was warned by Freundel not to move the digital clock setting on a sink — a curious concern but she said that Freundel was worried that it would be moved in any way. She said that Freundel said that Shulevitz should not hesitate to “take as many practice dunks as I needed.” However, a convert to Judaism, Shulevitz was not concerned until she read that congregants had accused Shulevitz of having a hidden camera in the clock.
The Mikva requires women to be naked and fully submerge under the water while reciting a blessing: “…asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al hatevilah, ….who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us on immersion.” Only one attending woman can be present who by Jewish law is charged with making sure that the woman is totally submerged.
Prosecutors say that a witness contacted police when Freundel was seen plugging in the clock in the shower area of the ritual bath. The witness said that Freundel said it was for ventilation. They identify the clock radio as the “Dream Machine” with a motion activated camera as well as a storage component. It is described as a “self-contained surveillance device.”
Freundel is charged with six counts of voyeurism and faces up to six years in prison. My guess is that we will see a superseding indictment with more charges to try to force a plea deal, which would seem likely. The greatest risk for his defense is that the prosecutors are still looking into whether some of the pictures showed girls. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Marcus Kurn stressed that “He violated the laws up in the heavens and down.”
The synagogue posted the following statement:
This is a painful moment for Kesher Israel Congregation and the entire Jewish community. At this challenging time, we draw strength from our faith, our tradition, and our fellow congregants.
Upon receiving information regarding potentially inappropriate activity, the Board of Directors quickly alerted the appropriate officials.
Throughout the investigation, we cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so.
After today’s arrest of Rabbi Dr. Barry Freundel, the Board of Directors suspended him without pay. As always, Kesher Israel will remain open as a place of learning, prayer, and community, including throughout the remainder of the Sukkot holiday.
This is a very difficult time for all of us. We respectfully request that our community be granted privacy. Any further questions should be directed to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Source: Washington Post
DBQ, Great tie in to the epidemic of female teachers betraying the trust of their male students and raping them. Little outrage for their felonies. But, thankfully, they are often receiving stiff sentences. Eventually these obsessive women will leave their male students alone. Well, hopefully. Obsession is a mofo!!
This just proves that creeps come in all religions
most other places…
po – don’t forget that Hillary stood by her man. He violated the Oval Office in more ways than one.
Agree with Dredd here, I am impressed that the board of directors did not try to cover for him and called the cops. I suspect that most of other places across religions/secular entities would have closed ranks instead.
What’s with his wife attending the arraignment with one kid? How old of a kid? Why?
“The violation of this kind of trust is far worse than the crime of voyeurism.”
I agree with Davidm on the violation of trust and liken it to the violation of the trust by various male and female teachers who have taken advantage of their position as trusted educators guiding young students to have illegal sexual relationships.
In both cases a crime has been committed. Statutory rape. Voyeurism. Invasion of privacy.
To be violated when you are in a place where you expect the highest standard of conduct and then to be violated by the very person in whom you are supposed to be able place all of your trust is the worst of the worst.
Dredd, I think women who wear skirts and dresses should start wearing granny bloomers under them. What a sad state of affairs when people’s privacy is disrespected and the ones who mete out justice fall down on the job.
Actually, not that I would do this, but I think I would have it set with a remote so I could turn it off when women I found unattractive were bathing. Or too young. Not sure what the age limit is for mikvas.
Here comes the “religious practice” defense.
“I was only making sure they were naked” so the gods would not be offended.
Dredd, I met a Christian preacher who baptized all his converts naked. I was pretty shocked that the women went along with it. Most Christians do not baptize people naked, but they certainly argue about a plethora of other details. Christian baptism is derived from this Jewish mikvah ritual talked about here. It is basically the same thing.
“In what many are calling a stunning ruling and a setback for women’s privacy rights, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that taking photographs or videotaping up unsuspecting women’s skirts is not a crime in Massachusetts.
In dismissing “Peeping Tom” charges against an Andover man who had been accused of secretly videotaping and photographing women who sat across from him on the MBTA using his cell phone in 2010, the state’s highest court held that the state’s current criminal anti-voyeurism law does not apply to what is known as “upskirting,’’
In its unanimous ruling the Court said: State law .does not apply to photographing (or videotaping or electronically surveilling) persons who are fully clothed and, in particular, does not reach the type of upskirting that the defendant is charged with attempting to accomplish on the MBTA.” (Klieman & Lyons).
Some invaders get off on testicular torque it would seem.
I wonder if primitive devices like toe cams cost 2k.
I’m pretty sure the women who’s privacy was invaded didn’t think lightly of the voyeurism aspect of this despicable act. Creepy as all get out.
Paul, Yom Kippur, the holiest of days, is the day of atonement and repentance. We have Jewish commenters here, but I think that’s the way you repent for the years sins. Catholics sin much more and need to confess weekly!
david – voyeurism is the crime. It is not voyeurism with special religious circumstances. What they are waiting for now is possible child porn charges as well.
Sad case, if true.
Assuming he is guilty, then we can only hope that the appropriate punishment will be meted out on Earth and in Heaven. Little fuzzy here, but Jews don’t have the sacrament of Confession, do they? I think the prosecutor is a little hyperbolic, but he is trying to get a conviction, not defend the guy.
Annie
There are those people who will never respect others privacy. IMO, they are some of the lowest of the low, disgusting human beings, no matter what their title or profession, or avocation. Sick individuals.
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Yep.
Privacy Invaders all have the same motivation.
And they all think their PI activity is the one true invasion ordained in hebben.
The violation of this kind of trust is far worse than the crime of voyeurism.
There are those people who will never respect others privacy. IMO, they are some of the lowest of the low, disgusting human beings, no matter what their title or profession, or avocation. Sick individuals.
When I was a young man, 16 or 17…. I once found my own mother’s pamphlet on the Mikva…… and I became so incensed, that I tore into tiny pieces. This Rabbi, needs to be lead down into the mikva, and his head needs to be held under water for just 10 minutes, as punishment!
Surveillance being my specialty I have been in the biz from before video. I started w/ speed shooting 35mm. The first video camera I used was for Clausen Miller, a large Chicago law firm back in the early 80’s. It was a large, shoulder camera w/ a cord attached to a bulky VCR you carried strapped to the other shoulder. I bought my first pinhole camera in the early 90’s. It only came in black and white and I had to provide my own recording device. I paid almost 2k for that now primitive device. Now, I have pinhole cameras w/ excellent color resolution in key chains, pens, hats, and a sunglass case. They range from ~$150-200. I started seeing the perverts getting into this stuff about a decade ago. But now, w/ the low cost and high quality, I KNOW there are creeps like this guy doing despicable stuff like this everywhere. But, don’t be paranoid folks, I sure you’re not being taped!! We discussed the other day how ethics is not keeping up w/ technology. This is another instance. OCD, just like trolls.
“After today’s arrest of Rabbi Dr. Barry Freundel, the Board of Directors suspended him without pay.” – The Synagogue
Now there is an example a lot of LEO orgs, churches, and other institutions which impact public confidence in institutions should emulate.