The Terrible Impact of Rabbi Barry Freundel’s Mikvah Voyeurism in the Words of One of His Victims

By Shmarya Rosenberg
Failed Messiah
May 15, 2015

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2015/05/-the-terrible-impact-of-rabbi-barry-freundels-mikvah-voyeurism-in-the-words-of-one-of-his-victims-678.html

“To me, the practice dunk was a true immersion to cleanse myself of 25 years of not doing mitzvos, of touching a dead body, of my sexual exploits in my early 20s. Now I am 30 and have to reevaluate everything in my life.…I have suffered for speaking out to the media and have lost my community. I need therapy for that. Barry destroyed my life.…What I thought was a cleansing experience was a sick betrayal of trust. I am wrecked emotionally, psychologically, sexually. All of the beliefs I had are out the window because of the hypocrisy I witnessed."

Above: Rabbi Barry Freundel

The Terrible Impact Of Rabbi Barry Freundel’s Mikvah Voyeurism In The Words Of One Of His Victims

Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Emma Shulevitz, one of the victims of mikvah voyeur Rabbi Barry Freundel’s, told the court today in her victim’s impact statement that Freundel had destroyed her life.

She said her father passed away in 2008 and the day after her father’s yartzeit, Freundel – who had become a sort of replacement father figure for her – called her and asked her if she wanted to take a practice dunk in the mikvah (ritual bath).

For Shulevitz, that practice ritual immersion was cathartic – until she found out last year that Freundel was secretly video-recording the women using the mikvah as they were naked and preparing to immerse.

“To me, the practice dunk was a true immersion to cleanse myself of 25 years of not doing mitzvos, of touching a dead body, of my sexual exploits in my early 20s. Now I am 30 and have to reevaluate everything in my life.…I have suffered for speaking out to the media and have lost my community. I need therapy for that. Barry destroyed my life.…What I thought was a cleansing experience was a sick betrayal of trust. I am wrecked emotionally, psychologically, sexually. All of the beliefs I had are out the window because of the hypocrisy I witnessed,” Shulevitz said.

Freundel, once one of the top Modern Orthodox rabbis in the world, pleaded guilty to secretly video-recording 52 women in that mikvah. At least 100 other victims were outside the statue of limitation and Freundel could not be charged for video-recording them.