UNITED STATES
Washington Post

By Jeffrey Frances March 6 at 4:08 PM
The writer is an Orthodox rabbi and educator.

Rabbi Barry Freundel’s admitted voyeurism of women engaged in a ritual bathing central to Orthodox Judaism and, in this particular case, conversion, is truly a gross perversion and an aberration. Yet I hope this does not lead people to jump to incorrect conclusions about the institution of the mikvah or the role of rabbis within Orthodoxy.

Freundel’s crimes do not indicate a flaw in the system of the mikvah. One tragic individual abused his position for his own needs for control over those who trusted him to guide them on the path of Judaism. Nor did this case reveal a hidden problem of “peeping Tom” rabbis. Privacy and security are guiding principles in the operation of a mikvah, and each community determines specific guidelines depending on its size…