The Jewish world was rocked last week by the arrest of Rabbi Barry Freundel. The now-suspended rabbi of Washington, D.C.’s Kesher Israel Congregation is alleged to have planted a video recording device in the showering area of his shul’s mikvah (for more on this story, see page 41). In the weeks to come, this ugly incident is sure to spark serious and important debate. Indeed, since a significant number of Jewish journalists, media outlets and bloggers closed shop for Sukkot a day after the charges were laid, we are still in the earliest stages of this story, even though Rabbi Freundel’s arrest is now more than a week old. 

There is every reason to believe this was an isolated case – not the first time a rabbi has acted criminally or inappropriately to be sure, but still an uncommon occurrence. And yet, many rabbis in the United States, Canada and beyond will be forced to deal with the fallout. People will try to paint Rabbi Freundel, who has pleaded not guilty to voyeurism charges, as some kind of symbol of a backward and abusive Orthodox Judaism. That is patently unfair.

A number of questions arise from this sordid episode, first and foremost about the role women should play in Orthodox Judaism. It’s difficult not to wonder whether Rabbi Freundel would have been in a position to allegedly plant his recording device if more women were empowered with rabbinic – or rabbi-like – authority in the Orthodox community. Video recordings of the showers at Kesher Israel’s mikvah may date back as far as 2012. Perhaps if there were more women in positions of influence, Rabbi Freundel might have been caught sooner. At the very least, establishing female authority over women’s mikvahs seems to be a no-brainer.

This incident may have also indirectly exposed flaws in the conversion system in America. A day after the arrest, reports emerged that Rabbi Freundel had only recently been investigated by the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) regarding separate allegations of unethical behaviour. Earlier this year, the RCA received a tip that Rabbi Freundel had allegedly booked a hotel room with a woman who was in the process of converting to Judaism. Rabbi Freundel, who is married, denied the claims, and the investigation was halted when the individual who brought the matter forward would not present further information, citing legal reasons. 

But this second set of allegations is especially troubling, since Rabbi Freundel previously chaired an RCA committee that drafted new protocols for conversions. For years, there have been calls for more transparency in the conversion process amid stories of rabbis imposing draconian, even abusive, edicts upon potential converts. Abuse of power – in the synagogue as well as in other Jewish institutions – is a serious concern. Its victims deserve support. 

In the aftermath of this scandal, there is much to investigate – and not only in the Orthodox community. Rabbis hold a sacred space in Judaism, even at a time when their position is being eroded. If convicted, Rabbi Freundel will evict himself from that group. His former colleagues – and all of us, really – are tasked with doing the utmost to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. — YONI