D.C. rabbi accused of recording at least 150 nude women at ritual bath

Barry Freundel, a prominent Washington D.C. rabbi, was arrested and charged with voyeurism last October after a hidden camera was discovered in the changing and showering area of The National Capital Mikvah. He has been a rabbi at Kesher Israel synagogue for over 25 years. The initial charges were based on recordings of six women who were going in and out of the mikvah shower.

Freundel, 63, was arrested on Oct. 14 after the hidden camera was discovered in a clock in the mikvah, or private bath. Court documents say that the rabbi appears on film setting up the recording device, and media storage devices were found during a search of his home. Wednesday night a meeting was held with victims at the Washington U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors told victims during the meeting that an investigation had found that Freundel had filmed 152 women, 88 within the last three years. Another 64 were filmed during a period going back as far as 2009, but the statute of limitations for voyeurism has already lapsed.

Fruendel has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted. He was fired in November by the synagogue’s board and told to leave his home, which is owned by the synagogue, by Jan. 1, which he has not done. He is expected to appear in Court on Feb. 19 for a hearing.

Wednesday’s meeting, which was closed to the media, included potential victims and their attorneys. According to one woman who was present, most of the women in attendance did not voice any opposition to a plea agreement that would avoid a trial. She said she thinks people just want this over with.

The U.S. attorney’s office has established a website for individuals who believe they might have been victims. Prosecutors are asking women to send photographs of themselves, in clothing, to usadc.bernardfreundelcase@usdoj.gov.

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