Updated: Nov. 13, 2014 at 1:56 a.m.
This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Brandon Lee.
The D.C. rabbi charged with six counts of misdemeanor voyeurism will again appear before a judge early next year after prosecutors requested more time to try to identify additional victims before deciding whether to offer the rabbi a plea deal.
Barry Freundel, who until recently served at Kesher Israel in Georgetown, was arrested last month for allegedly setting up a camera in the synagogue’s changing area for the ritual bathhouse, or mikvah. The 62-year-old rabbi has pled not guilty on all counts and could face up to six years in prison if convicted.
GW graduate student Stephanie Doucette, who is in the process of converting to Judaism, told The Hatchet she is concerned she may have been one of his victims.
Freundel also taught at GW in the fall of 1998 and spring of 2000.
While prosecutor Amy Zubrensky asked the D.C. Superior Court judge for more time in the case, Freundel’s attorney, Jeffrey Harris, said he had not yet been able to review “what the prosecution claims as evidence.”
“A lot of the material seized are of an electronic nature, and I haven’t been able to go through them,” said Harris, who was told he wouldn’t be able to access the evidence until after Thanksgiving.
Zubrensky explained that the prosecution is creating a website for alleged victims to find updates about Freundel’s case. The site will also help alleged victims contact counselors and prosecutors. The defense did not object so long as the site’s contents were restricted to those two purposes.
Prosecutors banned the rabbi from leaving the country between the arrest and the hearing, but the Superior Court judge denied a motion to monitor Freundel’s cell phone.
Freundel remained silent throughout the 30-minute hearing. His next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16.
This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly reported the name of the prosecutor. It was Amy Zubrensky, not Elizabeth Branski. We regret this error.
