Rabbi Arrests Bring Attention to Abuse by Faith Leaders

By Ron Snyder
ABC 2
January 23, 2015

http://www.abc2news.com/news/crime-checker/baltimore-county-crime/rabbi-arrests-bring-attention-to-abuse-by-faith-leaders

Barry Freundel biography photo. (Courtesy of Towson University)

Coming forward with allegations of crimes of a sexual nature can be difficult enough for many people.

That difficulty often is magnified exponentially when the perpetrator is a faith leader. This was the case this week when Baltimore County police charged and Ohio rabbi of sexually abusing a minor.

Police said Rabbi Frederick Martin Karp, 50, of Beachwood, Ohio is awaiting extradition from New York after being arrested there following the accusations in Maryland.

RELATED: Ohio rabbi accused of sexual assault of a minor in Baltimore County

Locally, there are organizations that can assist such victims deal with the trauma and find the help they need, whether it is psychological, physical, legal or financial assistance. Located off Park Heights Avenue in northwest Baltimore, CHANA offers a Jewish community program to the needs of those who experience physical, psychological, sexual, or financial abuse.

Over the last 20 years, CHANA (Counseling, Helping & Aid Network for Abused Women) has assisted people of all faiths and backgrounds deal with such abuse, including cases involving a rabbi or other faith leader.

“We try to help the victims understand that there are plenty of resources and people to help support them,” said Lauren Shaivitz, CHANA’s director of programming. “They are not alone. This can be tough to grasp when the victim has been abused at the hands of a person of authority or a religious leader.”

Shaivitz said there have been strides in recent years among many religious communities in addressing sexual assault when faith leaders are the suspect. This includes in the Jewish community following multiple high profile cases.

This includes the case of Rabbi Barry Freundel. He was recently fired from at Kesher Israel in Georgetown after it was revealed he was charged with secretly videotaping women in a ritual bath.

Freundel, who was also a professor at Towson University, had been suspended without pay since his arrest in October. He faces six counts of voyeurism after police found a clock radio with a hidden camera in the shower area of a ritual bath, known as a mikvah.

RELATED: Rabbi Barry Freundel fired from Georgetown synagogue over voyeurism charges

CHANA has been contacted by those believed to be victimized by Freundel and has stayed informed about the case.

“We offer any type of support needed to help victim guide through the process,” Shaivitz said. “This could be group counseling, individual counseling, seeking legal help or going to the police.

Karp and Freundel’s cases come after a number of other sexual assault court cases involving rabbis.

In 2012, Rabbi Stanley Levitt, then 66, pleaded guilty to molesting three Massachusetts boys in the 1970s. Concerns over his connections in Baltimore, multiple synagogues informed congregants of Levitt’s presence and his photo was circulated through the community.

In 2009, Rabbi Jacob A. Max was convicted of sexually molesting a woman in a funeral home. Max, who died in 2011 at the age of 87, was found guilty of second-degree assault and a fourth-degree sex offense.

This led to other women to come forward against Max, who founded Pikesville's Liberty Jewish Center, also known as the Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation.

“We need to continue to promote awareness that this is an issue and that there is people who want to help if you come forward,” Shaivitz said.