UNITED STATES
The Jewish Daily Forward
By Josh Nathan-Kazis
Published October 15, 2014.
A national Orthodox rabbinic association recently investigated allegations of impropriety made against the rabbi accused of videotaping women at his mikvah, the Forward has learned.
Rabbi Barry Freundel, spiritual leader of the Washington, D.C. congregation Kesher Israel, will be charged with voyeurism after a witness allegedly saw him installing a hidden camera above a shower stall at his synagogue’s mikvah.
The president of the Rabbinical Council of America, Rabbi Leonard Matanky, confirmed that the RCA received allegations over the summer of “ethical issues that came up regarding an issue with a woman.” The allegations were investigated, but no action was taken.
The RCA suspended Freundel’s membership on October 15, after his arrest.
A person who works in the travel industry told the Forward that they had informed the RCA earlier this year that Freundel, who is married, made reservations to stay overnight in a hotel with a woman converting to Judaism who was not his wife. The person declined to be identified, citing confidentiality rules.
Matanky said that the RCA questioned Freundel about the allegations. The person who brought the charges was unwilling to provide supporting evidence for legal reasons.
Read more: http://forward.com/articles/207382/orthodox-group-probed-alleged-mikveh-peep-rabbi-ba/#ixzz3GL1CZRE9
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