A 62-year-old rabbi, who allegedly posted a hidden camera in the shower area of the ritual bath adjacent to the Kesher Israel Congregation in the Georgetown section of Washington D.C., is facing an internal investigation by Towson University in Maryland along with six counts of voyeurism, which carry a sentence up to six years in prison.
Towson is looking into whether it complied with federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination and is attempting to find current and former students of Rabbi Barry Freundel, who teaches at the university, according to the Washington Post. Freundel, who is known as an authority on Jewish law and ethics, was released by a judge last week and ordered to stay away from women, Kesher Israel and the National Capital Mikvah after pleading not guilty to the voyeurism charges.
At first, Towson said the trips to the synagogue were unapproved and inappropriate, but Wednesday, the university changed its policy, saying the excursions may have tacitly been approved by College of Liberal Arts Department heads, who encourage faculty to “provide outside-the-classroom learning opportunities.”
Towson did say they were unaware Freundel had invited students to the Georgetown synagogue.
Washington D.C. police say their investigation is just beginning, as they are going through the cameras, recorders and computers, which were taken from Freundel’s Georgetown home.
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