New York – Less than one week after the arrest of a Washington DC rabbi on charges of voyeurism, a Beis Din has ruled that all conversions made by Rabbi Barry Freundel are halachically valid.
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The ruling by Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz of the Beth Din of America was announced today by the Rabbinical Council of America, which also said that additional steps will be taken to ensure the integrity of future conversions.
The new procedures will require every beis din assembled under the RCA’s Geirus Protocol and Standards to have women available to discuss potential concerns of female conversion candidates and will establish a mixed gender commission of rabbis, lay leaders and mental health professionals to review the GPS’s conversion process and suggest safeguards to prevent any possible abuse no later than January 31, 2015.
According to reports on Haaretz, an Israeli beis din is continuing to review whether or not it would consider any conversions performed by Rabbi Freundel to be acceptable.
As previously reported on VIN News, Rabbi Freundel, spiritual leader of the Kesher Israel Congregation was arrested after a 35 year old woman told police she saw Rabbi Freundel plug in a recording device as she prepared to immerse herself in the mikvah.
Rabbi Freundel was suspended without pay from his position at Kesher Israel and was suspended from the RCA and the Beth Din of America following his arrest. The 62 year old Georgetown resident pleaded not guilty to charges of voyeurism when he appeared in court last Wednesday.
Rabbi Freundel, one of several rabbis instrumental in the creation of the GPS, chaired the RCA’s conversion committee from 2006 through 2013, overseeing many conversions during that time period.
Allegations surfaced in 2012 that Rabbi Freundel forced conversion candidates to do clerical work for him and to contribute financially to the beis din, but an RCA investigation determined that while Rabbi Freundel’s actions were inappropriate, they were insufficient to require his resignation as long as those behaviors were discontinued.
According to a statement released by the RCA it was never made aware of allegations that Rabbi Freundel had conversion candidates undergo “practice immersions”, charges that likely would have triggered a more serious response.
The RCA was also notified in August 2013 that several weeks prior, Rabbi Freundel had traveled by train to Chicago, sharing a sleeper car with a woman who was not his wife. The anonymous tip, which was received by the Vaad of Washington, could not be pursued as the caller, who claimed to work for the railroad, would not provide any substantiating documentation or evidence to support his claim for fear of losing his job, denying Rabbi Freundel due process.
Rabbi Freundel denied any wrongdoing when confronted by a member of the Washington Vaad, but offered no plausible explanation regarding the matter.
Rabbi Freundel’s arrest has been difficult both for his congregants and for the RCA on many levels, with the Kesher Israel website describing the recent events as “a painful moment for Kesher Israel Congregation and the entire Jewish community.”
“There are a lot of issues that this situation presents, some having to do with the rabbinate in general,” Rabbi Mark Dratch, executive vice president of the RCA told VIN News. “We are appalled by the behavior that Rabbi Freundel is accused of and have tremendous empathy for his immediate victims and to women going to mikvahs all over the country. Unfortunately, this terrible chilul Hashem impacts the larger rabbinate, made up of many wonderful, hardworking sincere individuals and we are busy suffering the fallout of that.”
I’m not understanding this…to date, He hasn’t been tried or convicted of anything. How is anyone, including Batei Din, the RCA, etc., even able to justify their having convicted him on their own????
You can all see so clearly from the rabbi’s facial expressions seen on the Fox News video broadcast that the rabbi is an innocent man and a victim of a frame up. Shame on those looking to condemn an innocent person without hearing first all the sides. Remember, innocent until proven guilty. There is no place any longer on these shores for Salem witch trials. I hope people will realize the importance of contributing to help the poor rabbi with his legal expenses.
I saw the news clip, and what I find most disturbing is that the rebbetzin is not walking along side the rabbi.
I’ve seen the video of the rabbi, but have not seen his wife.
The media stories about this rav going into the mikvah with women to show would-be converts how do “toivel in strict accordance with halacha” or taking overnight trips with other women do not encourage great respect for orthodoxy. Most would agree that such behavior is highly inappropriate for any rav, especially one who was considered one of the greatest talmedei chachamim and baal musar around today in the heimeshe tsibur. Between this and all the pedophilia among certain chassidus, theft and bank fraud by SMR and the Syrian rabbonim who were conspiring with Dwek, etc. its very discouraging for those promoting traditional yiddeshkeit.
Who says i trust the r c a bes din. i want to know who they are to decide anything. politically they are obviously well connected but i have had a very bad experience with a famous modern rabbi in lakewood who i wouldnt trust to clean my toilet after dealing with him,who also rules on matters of geirus.this moron actually bought himself a very expensive sports car with the rational that it would help being mikariv kids.
Is that a picture of the rabbi eating a candy bar on his way out of court?
The RCA, YU, OU need to “strip” him of his smicha.
Nothing less will do.
time for the RCA and Yu look at them selves first. many rabbis from YU ARE NOT ALL THAT KOSHER AS THEY SAY. perhaps they should limit the smichas they give out and keep track of them and have it recertified every 5 years.
many YU RABBIS HAVE GONE OF THE DERECH
Silly Wabbi! … Vids aren’t for Yids!
Now the news states he brought college non Jewish students to the mikva from Maryland to Washington!!!