Mikvah Society of L.A. assures users it is ‘safe and secure’ following voyeurism scandal in D.C.

By Ryan Torok
Jewish Journal
November 5, 2014

http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/mikvah_society_of_l.a._assures_users_it_is_safe_and_secure_following_voyeur

A mikveh.

The scandal surrounding the Washington D.C. rabbi who was arrested and charged for allegedly secretly filming women while they were using a mikveh dressing room has prompted assurances from the Mikvah Society of Los Angeles that its own mikveh “continues to be a safe and secure environment.”

The statement appeared in an Oct. 28 letter that local modern Orthodox synagogues are distributing on behalf of the mikveh society.

“The dedicated individuals who are involved in our Mikvah are motivated to ensure a sanctified place for performing the Mitzvah of Taharat ha-Mishpacha (family purity) and facilitating conversions,” the letter reads. “As a community Mikvah, we are not affiliated with any particular shul or rabbi, and are guided by the Rabbinic Board of the Mikvah for halachic standard setting and consultation.” The letter is signed by Vivian Lurie, Mikvah Society of Los Angeles president.

Rabbi Barry Freundel of the Washington D.C.-based congregation Kesher Israel was arrested on Oct. 14 and has been charged with six counts of voyeurism. 

The Rabbinic Council of America (RCA) also directly addressed Freundel’s actions, including by naming Rabbi Kalman Topp of Beth Jacob Congregation to a commission to review the practices of conversions in the Orthodox community.  The commission includes women who have converted, as well as rabbis and others. 

The RCA-appointed commission “will review its … conversion process and suggest safeguards against possible abuses,” a press release from the RCA sent on Oct. 29 says.

The RCA, a membership organization for Orthodox rabbis, suspended Freundel’s membership shortly after his arrest.

Topp was also one of several L.A. Orthodox rabbis in an Oct. 22 meeting with Lurie that was called to discuss the implications of Freundel’s arrest for Los Angeles area mikveh facilities.

Together the group addressed concerns community members might have about privacy, Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky, leader of Congregation B’nai-David Judea, said in a phone interview.

“The meeting went very, very well … basically, it was three rabbis and the leaders of the mikvah, who are all women, and we talked about what kind of things that are presently part of the mikvah protocol, what kind of things could be changed, tightened up, in order to reassure women,” Kanefsky said.

Topp could not be reached immediately for comment.

Meanwhile, Lurie told the Journal that the Los Angeles mikveh underwent a security sweep on Oct. 29: an independent security firm searched for any devices, such as hidden cameras, in the Pico-Robertson mikvah.

“Everything was perfectly clear, they didn’t find anything, so we are good to go,” Lurie said in a phone interview. “The point is to keep it that way.”