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
“real issue is how those dogmatically repressed sexual feelings manifest themselves in real life”
That is false.
Pederasty and pedophilia are much more common among US public school teachers. Their left-liberal ideology swings far to the wanton and promiscuous, i.e., not reperessed at all.
davidm2575
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.
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The only difference seems to be the permission the Christian women gave.
Interesting.
Well Olly if he’s getting “double jeopardized” we should let him off in this world, shouldn’t we?
That’s the fallacy and danger of religion. It defers everything until some mystical judge in the sky decides the issue well after it matters.
Paul:
Not all Jews are repressed, of course, but those who subscribe to the more orthodox sects are certainly so. That’s their version of events. Not mine.
Paul C:
It’s OK to be equally upset with both. One’s actions do not exonerate the other’s actions … and of course only one professes to be the moral conscience of the world.
mespo – you do not represent all lawyers. This rabbi does not represent all Orthodox Jews. Most rabbis I have known have not professed to be the moral conscience of the world, only their congregation at the most, themselves at the least.
I find that comment offensive and absolutely absurd. Why are people negative about Jewish people.
issac:
Well they do squirm but the judges have to consider the good work the religious do as they would with any other defendant. Since they have the opportunity to do so much (good and bad it seems) they get what appears to be favorable treatment.
The real issue is how those dogmatically repressed sexual feelings manifest themselves in real life. I suspect our rabbi is a perfectly likable guy outside of his sexual dysfunction but his actions — which can be explained psychologically — are beyond the pale and require jail time.
Hitchens may have been onto something when he said “religion poisons everything.” Even the psyches of the most pious adherents, it seems.
mespo – Jews are hardly sexually repressed. No more than lawyers.
mespo wrote: “The real issue is how those dogmatically repressed sexual feelings manifest themselves in real life.”
Oh boy, here comes the homosexual agenda spin again about repressed sexual feelings. Prove this to be true please. You are simply repeating homosexual propaganda.
If the allegations are proven true, then the real psychological issue is the constant bombardment of a hedonistic culture upon a man trying to live a disciplined life. Sexual immorality now has the imprimatur of government, so expect more men like him to have moral failings, not because they are sexually repressed, but because they are constantly bombarded by a message that is contrary to sexual morality.
This may sound perverse but I look forward to how religions squirm out of these things. It is never boring to listen to the pope or any official from the catholic church phrase their words when almost admitting what would be a crime in most societies. The priest was troubled, repented, so we promoted oops, transferred him. He is at another church giving advice to people.
This priest/rabbi whatever is no different. He is obviously in control of his actions and should be charged in a civil court as if his religion did not exist. If his parishioners wish to take him back, well that is their decision, problem. If it weren’t so pathetic and shameful, it would be funny.
issac – I would be more upset at the Catholic Church if I did not know that public schools were passing around predators for years. Less now since in most states they are required by law to report anything suspicious.
You call people “God’s emissary, ” they start leaving off the “emissary” part. Throw him in irons.
I am not at all familiar with Jewish “canon(?)” law but I cannot imagine a person accused of this escaping from such a charge. Especially now that it is public and a ritual within the church was allegedly used for nefarious purposes I cannot see it going well for this man.
A forensic analysis of the memory on that recording device could prove interesting. It is possible that videos were deleted on the file allocation table (if that was the protocol used) might still be latent in the memory. If it turns out in this analysis that there are images of minors he could be facing additional penalties.
If that is the case I don’t see him having much of a defense that a person accused of these acts would have that any pictures of minors was inadvertent since in his position of the church he should have anticipated such a situation.
He will be judged twice for this conduct and his next sentence will last for eternity.
Bruce – what is Obama going to do with the old Ebola czar that he hired two years ago?
Bruce, Perfect! Another Harvard attorney, w/ no medical experience, who has been butt boy for Fat Al Gore and Joe Biden. This is the most insular, incompetent, political, WH in my lifetime. I yearn for Jimmy Carter or Tricky Dick right now. Hell, Gerald Ford would be great!!
It is especially troubling when people in positions of public trust – law enforcement, judges, teachers, clergy – betray that trust.
My heart goes out to the synagogue.
I see Obama’s going to appoint Ron Klain as ebola tsar. Someone new to through under the bus when things get out of hand. He has no health care experience
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/mikveh.html
Nowadays it’s a symbolic cleansing of woman by events in her life that rendered her symbolically impure. Nothing to do with sin, from the description.
Everyone should be skeptical of any traditions that are likely to facilitate predatory sexual activity – i.e. taking young boys into shower rooms, counselors in camping cabins or tents with young boys, locked door private sessions with those in positions of power, and of course religious rituals that involve nudity or genital mutilation. Predators tend to take advantage of others whenever they can.
We were taught that Baptism washed away sin in the church I grew up in. I think that the Mikva is to wash away the uncleanliness of the woman’s monthly cycles waste products and some symbolic uncleanliness associated with a women’s period. Perhaps a Jewish woman would have more knowledge.
Being an Orthodox Jew I find this very troubling. The council will take action, but there is a process to be followed as set down in 1 BC if I recall correctly.
Linda L – I would find it more than troubling, I would find it illegal.