Washington – Disgraced Peeping Mikvah Rabbi Issues Public Apology; Says He’s “Sorry Beyond Measure”

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    FILE - Rabbi Barry Freundel leaves the D.C. Superior Court House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)Washington, D.C. – With the High Holidays, and more pointedly the Day of Atonement fast approaching, disgraced Orthodox Rabbi Barry Freundel has used the occasion to issue a public apology, saying in a sweeping contrition that he is “sorry, beyond measure.”

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    WASHINGTONJEWISHWEEK.com (http://bit.ly/1ixN4z9) reports that in a statement released on September 8, Freundel—who is currently serving 6-and-1/2 years after pleading guilty in May to secretly filming 52 women while they were naked—states that, “No matter how many times I attempt to apologize, it will never be enough. I am sorry, beyond measure, for my heinous behavior and the perverse mindset that provoked my actions.”

    Freundel speaks about strides he has made through therapy but explains that he has yet to fully understand what led him so far astray.

    “Through therapy,” Freundel writes, ” I came to understand the psychological underpinnings of why I acted in this despicable way. But I have not yet fully grasped how I could have been so completely oblivious to the harm I was doing to others.”

    In closing Freundel states, “In the absence of anything else, I would like to repeat how completely sorry I am for my behavior and my actions. There is no excuse for what I have done. Again, I am truly sorry.”


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    23 Comments
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    8 years ago

    Excellent. Sick Ehrliche Yid trying to do teshuvah. How many other imprisoned Jewish sinners have issued such statements? Also, he didn’t drag out the criminal proceedings like most others do.

    8 years ago

    I wish the victims and him speedy and complete recoveries. I am unhappy at how this investigation and prosecution seemed to be needed to be handled – OTOH the police and prosecutors say that they themselves can’t investigate and prosecute without informing potential victims – OTOH the suffering to the victims really happened only because those same police and prosecutors notified potential victims, so the victimization was caused by Freundel, but the suffering was really caused only by the police and prosecutors. Imagine a case of someone being falsely told by a police detective that they were on the tapes, when they really weren’t. In such a case, and it could easily happen, the suffering would still happen. There needs to be a better way to prosecute these matters.

    zoifunny
    Active Member
    zoifunny
    8 years ago

    I started feeling a little bad for him! Don’t you?

    8 years ago

    Well, I must say it seems like a proper apology. However, I believe he originally denied everything. True Teshuva should be acknowledged, but he had better not ever be in a position to abuse women again (voyeurism IS abuse.)

    8 years ago

    Poor fool, he lost everything

    yosher
    yosher
    8 years ago

    Now the Rabbinical Council of America needs to apologize for receiving complaints about Freundel and not acting on them.

    anonyid
    anonyid
    8 years ago

    This is what happens when guys who are not up to observing all laws of the Torah call themselves Rabbis. He’s like one dipping in the mikva with a sheretz (like an ant that’s tamei) in his hand trying to become pure. Had he observed the mitzva of ‘v’lo sasuru achrei levavchem v’achrei eineichem’ (do not stray after your hearts and eyes) which is a mitzva like any other mitzva and guarded his eyes as Hashem commanded, he wouldn’t eat himself up alive now. No doubt he apologized but should pray that Hashem forgive him.

    ModernLakewoodGuy
    ModernLakewoodGuy
    8 years ago

    no, he is sorry he was caught. no one goes through YEARS of filming hundreds of women and then has remorse.

    8 years ago

    Now Weberman and Rubashkin need to apologize. ( I know, they were both innocent and the judges were anti semites and the victims were all liars. Let’s hear it again.)

    8 years ago

    To argue that the women shouldn’t have been identified is insanity. Once these womens’ names are publicly posted on the internet they will be publicly outed and its best to give them time to prepare themselves for the forthcoming public bushah.

    8 years ago

    Unfortunately, there are other examples of ostensibly frum people acting in a perverse manner. Several years ago, on a Delta jet coming from EY to JFK, there was an Israeli Rabbi (father of eleven children), who sexually molested a female IDF officer, who was sleeping, and seated next to him. He was tried in federal court, convicted, and only received sixty days in jail. He probably will never be allowed to reenter the USA again. Then, there was the Reform Rabbi in NJ who hired hit men to murder his wife, with a hammer. He received life in prison. Quite frankly, I’m skeptical of the “remorse” shown by the individual in this article.

    Mike27428
    Mike27428
    8 years ago

    Ahhh….There is always hope my friends!

    uberchochom
    uberchochom
    8 years ago

    An aspect of doing a complete teshuvah. includes not doing the sin again when presented with the same opportunity that brought about the original sin. Accordingly, the Mikvah Rabbi should be restored to his original position.