WASHINGTON (DC)
The Jewish Week
10/28/14
Hannah Dreyfus
Staff Writer
This past Shabbat, members of Congregation Kesher Israel in Washington, D.C., filled the synagogue’s social hall for a synagogue-sponsored dinner.
The meal, according to longtime congregant Elliot Lowenstein, was an ad-hoc attempt to pull together a community rocked by the arrest of their spiritual leader, Rabbi Barry Freundel, less than two weeks ago.
Police led Freundel, 62, out of his Georgetown home in handcuffs on Oct. 14. He was charged with six counts of voyeurism after secret video cameras were found in the community mikvah disguised as clock radios.
Lowenstein described the Kesher community’s reaction to the allegations as “rallying around the flag.”
“It’s brought our community closer,” he said. “I feel like a part of something bigger.”
Amidst the media hubbub and growing list of accusations against Rabbi Freundel, the shul has sought to keep congregants informed and united. Over the holiday of Simchat Torah, just days after the arrest, informal discussion groups were held for women and specifically for female converts, giving potential victims a first chance to process their shock and dismay, congregants said.
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