D.C. synagogue fires rabbi accused of voyeurism
Posted By richards on December 2, 2014
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- An orthodox synagogue in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., fired its rabbi after he was accused of installing cameras in a room where women bathed.
Rabbi Barry Freundel was arrested in October and pleaded not guilty to a charge of voyeurism.
He allegedly secretly installed video cameras in the shower room of the mikvah, a room where women prepared for ritual bath at Kesher Israel synagogue.
The synagogue's board of directors made the decision last week to fire Freundel, a statement from the board said Sunday. Freundel and his family are also required to vacate a synagogue-owned home by Jan. 1.
"The alleged acts leading to this step were a gross violation of law, privacy, halakha, and trust.They breached the high moral and ethical standards we set for ourselves and for our leadership.Our collective heart breaks for the consequences, both seen and unseen, of these alleged acts to all the potential victims and our entire community," the statement said.
Freundel had also been suspended without pay from his job as an associate professor at Towson University near Baltimore. He teaches philosophy and religious studies at the school.
Freundel is next scheduled to appear in court Jan. 16. If convicted, he could face six years in prison.
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