On Thursday, December 18, 2014, Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of a woman and others who were victimized by Rabbi Bernard Freundel while he worked at the Kesher Israel synagogue in Georgetown, in DC. In October, Freundel was arrested and charged with voyeurism after it was discovered that he allegedly concealed hidden cameras in his synagogue’s mikvah, a ritual Jewish bath used as part of the spiritual cleansing process. Freundel allegedly used the hidden cameras to record women in the nude as they used the mikvah.
The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Florida woman, and others who suffered similar experiences, who embarked on a 4 year journey to convert to Orthodox Judaism. Freundel took advantage of his role as her spiritual advisor by making arrangements for her to use the mikvah before and during her conversion ceremony.
By filing this class action lawsuit, our firm’s client and other victims who used Kesher Israel’s mikvah will now have the opportunity to hold those responsible accountable for Freundel’s alleged reprehensible actions. Using the mikvah is one of the most sacred experiences in the Orthodox Jewish faith, and Freundel allegedly took advantage of these women by invading both their privacy and most personal religious moments. Authorities have estimated that there may be hundreds of women who were secretly recorded in the mikvah.
Visit our Invasion of Privacy page to learn more about the case and recent updates.
Partner Allan M. Siegel recently appeared on NBC 4 News to discuss the lawsuit. You can view the segment below: