Voyeurism Case Involving Towson Professor Postponed for Second Time

The case involving a Georgetown rabbi charged with voyeurism has been delayed for the second time, according to reports.

Lawyers on Friday asked for more time to look at evidence against Rabbi Barry Freundel, according to WUSA 9.

Freundel, 62, was the spiritual leader of the high-profile Georgetown synagogue Kesher Israel, which suspended him without pay on Oct. 14, the day police arrested him at his home, then fired him in November, and ordered he move out of the home provided to him by the first of the year.

He is charged with six counts of voyeurism related to allegations that he installed cameras to spy on women in a ritual bath called a mikvah.

Freundel is pleading not guilty.

In November, lawyers asked to postpone the case in the event that there were more victims.

Judge Franklin Burgess Jr. granted the delay on Friday so lawyers could have time to examine the evidence, The Washington Post reported.

The case will be back in court Feb. 19, according to WUSA 9.

In D.C. Superior Court on Friday, more than a dozen people were in attendance to hear the proceedings, some of them holding signs that said #safemikvah and #nopleadeal, according to The Washington Post, which reported the charges are categorized as misdemeanors and carry a maximum six-year sentence.

• Prosecutor Asks for Delay in Georgetown Rabbi Case, Says More Victims May Come Forward
• Authorities Set Up Hotline for Potential Victims of Rabbi Accused of Voyeurism

In addition to practicing at Kesher Israel, Freundel taught at Georgetown and Towson universities.

A Georgetown student filed suit in D.C. Superior Court in December seeking class-action status, stating she was invited by Freundel to the ritual bath, where she disrobed after he left the dressing room.

Georgetown and Towson universities were reportedly conducting their own investigations into the rabbi.

When authorities searched Freundel’s office at Towson, where he was an associate professor, they found a backpack containing multiple cameras, according to WJZ. The recording devices were hidden inside items such as a keychain and tissue box, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Authorities set up a hotline for those who may have been victims in the case. The number at the U.S. attorney’s office is 202-252-7585. The email address is usadc.bernardfreundelcase@usdoj.gov; and a there is a website with updated information about the case here.

Freundel is due for a court hearing Feb. 19.

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Related:

• Georgetown Rabbi Arrested for Alleged Voyeurism
• National Rabbi Board Knew of Misconduct Allegations Against Freundel in 2012
• Authorities Set Up Hotline for Potential Victims of Rabbi Accused of Voyeurism
• Georgetown Law Student Sues Rabbi Who Taught at Towson
• Prosecutor Asks for Delay in Georgetown Rabbi Case, Says More Victims May Come Forward
• More Victims, Including Towson Students, Join Lawsuit Against Georgetown Rabbi