Georgetown Rabbi’s Voyeurism Not Limited to Ritual Shower Area

By Perry Stein
Washington City Paper
October 17, 2014

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2014/10/17/police-georgetown-rabbis-voyeurism-not-limited-to-ritual-shower-area/


New court documents reveal that the scope of the investigation into the Georgetown rabbi extends far beyond the six misdemeanor counts of voyeurism the rabbi was charged and pleaded not guilty to on Wednesday.

Barry Freundel, the now-suspended rabbi at the modern Orthodox Kesher Israel synagogue in Georgetown, is accused of secretly filming women while they showered in preparation for a mikveh, a ritual cleansing bath in Judaism. Police say videos show Freundel setting up the camera attached to a clock radio, which captured at least six partially naked or naked women in the shower area.

In a newly released affidavit and search warrant for the synagogue and Freundel's home, the Metropolitan Police Department says it found that the recording device had more than 100 deleted files in it dating back to February. Some of the files are labeled under the first names of the women. In the preliminary investigation, "numerous" other women, according to the affidavit, told officials they believe they were also recorded changing in the shower area or mikveh room itself.

The acts of voyeurism were likely not limited to the mikveh area, and police say in the documents that evidence shows Freundel has been engaging in the activity with "several devices and over a period of time." Police seized a similar recording device from Freundel's home and found a manual for another hidden camera disguised as a fan.

At his house, police also seized 20 memory cards, seven laptops, six external hard drives, 11 flash drives, three cameras, and five desktop computers.

He is scheduled to appear in court again Nov. 12.