Georgetown Law Student Sues University, Synagogue

A student at Georgetown University Law Center is suing the university, Kesher Israel and National Capital Mikvah, according to NBC4, over the alleged actions of Rabbi Barry Freundel, who is said to have recorded women during a ritual bath in the synagogue.

The female student, NBC4 reported, “was taking Rabbi Barry Freundel’s Jewish studies class at Georgetown when he suggested she write her research paper on the mikvah ritual and required her to participate in the immersion.”

The plaintiff’s statement accuses that those named in the suit “turned a blind eye to Freundel’s increasingly bizarre behavior, ignoring bright red flags,” according to WJLA.

Meanwhile, Kesher Israel, the Orthodox Jewish synagogue at 28th and N Streets, NW, formally fired Freundel, who also must move out of his home – owned by the synagogue — on the 3000 block of O Street NW in less than a month.

“We are horrified by the behavior reported to have taken place at the mikvah,” a statement from Georgetown University read. “The university is . . . conducting its own investigation of Rabbi Freundel’s conduct.”

The following is part of the synagogue’s termination statement on Freundel: “The alleged acts leading to this step were a gross violation of law, privacy, halakha, and trust. . . . Our collective heart breaks for the consequences, both seen and unseen . . .”