Washington – Prosecutors and defense lawyers told a judge on Wednesday that a prominent Washington rabbi accused of secretly filming women taking ritual baths is still being investigated and there may be more victims, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The suspect, Rabbi Barry Freundel, 62, was arrested in October at his home in the U.S. capital’s upscale Georgetown neighborhood, a few blocks from his modern Orthodox synagogue, Kesher Israel Congregation.
He pleaded not guilty in District of Columbia Superior Court to six counts of voyeurism, a misdemeanor.
During a hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Zubrensky told Senior Judge Patricia Wynn that her office had created a section on the Justice Department’s website for alleged victims.
The section asks possible victims to contact the U.S. Attorney’s office with any information.
No plea offer was made and the investigation is continuing, said Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Wynn also ordered Freundel, who is free on his own recognizance, not to leave the country, Miller said.
The court has ordered Freundel to stay away from people he had helped convert to Judaism and participated with in the Jewish ritual bathing process known as mikvah, according to court documents.
He was also ordered to stay away from the Kesher Israel synagogue and the National Capital Mikvah. Freundel’s congregation has included Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman.
Calls seeking comment from Freundel’s attorney, Jeffrey Harris, were not immediately returned. A status hearing is set for Jan. 16.
This individual, Freundel, is a sexual predator and pervert, who belongs behind bars. I wish that there was a way that his Simichas could be permanently revoked!
This guy has done for Rabbis what Bernie Madoff did for Financial Advisors!
Of course there will be more victims since he was doing this dirty deed for over 20 years! Is his wife still by his side?
הִנֵּה-זֶה עוֹמֵד, אַחַר כָּתְלֵנוּ–מַשְׁגִּיחַ מִן-הַחַלֹּנוֹת, מֵצִיץ מִן-הַחֲרַכִּים
If you need more victims, why don’t they look at the videos?
Nebech on his three children.
I wonder how many other MO rabbonim have been engaging in similar types of perverted activities at mikvahs they supervise. For those who are worried, consider using a mikvah under the supervision of one of several chassideshe hasgachos where such outrageous behavior is unthinkable.
These victims should sue the RCA for letting him continue after they knew about him 5 years ago.
“Prosecutors and defense lawyers told a judge on Wednesday that a prominent Washington rabbi accused of secretly filming women taking ritual baths is still being investigated and there may be more victims…..”
Wait a minute! Is Reuters saying that Freundel’s defense lawyers (together with prosecutors) allege that ‘there may be more victims’? I’m not an attorney, but does it seem odd to anyone else that Freundel’s defense team is assisting the prosecution’s case by talking about more victims? Perhaps, this is just plain bad writing on the part of Reuter’s reporter (not surprising).
To Number #1 (Gideon)- you write:
“I wish that there was a way that his Simichas could be permanently revoked!”
I believe the term to which you refer is סמיכה? Well, you see, that’s not a problem at all because quite frankly, in these times, since a formal סמיכה doesn’t really mean much any more, unlike the גוים, we have no system of defrocking. One way or the other, from now on, Freundel’s סמיכה will not be much help to him.