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RABBINICAL COUNCIL OF AMERICA ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING
FREUNDEL MATTER
All Conversions Remain Halachically Valid
Announces Other Steps to
Ensure Integrity of Future Conversions
New York, October 20, 2014 – The
Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) today said that since the
arrest last week of Rabbi Barry Freundel of Washington, DC, it
has been working assiduously to address the many challenges that
its members and their communities now face.
Rabbi Leonard
Matanky, President, and Rabbi Mark Dratch, Executive Vice
President, said, “First and foremost, our hearts continue to go
out to the individuals who were converted to Judaism by Rabbi
Freundel whose trust was violated and who have worried about
their personal status. We pray for the welfare of all victims,
including the many women who used the Kesher Israel mikvah for
taharat hamishpacha (family purity) purposes, and for the
continued strength and healing of the Kesher Israel community,
which is a vibrant center of our sacred Torah and that is
suffering greatly at this time. We also feel for the Freundel
family and offer them our support during this difficult personal
time.”
Today the RCA is able to announce that
the Beth Din of America – under the leadership of Rabbi Gedalia
Dov Schwartz – has concluded as a matter of Jewish law that
conversions performed by Rabbi Freundel prior to his arrest on
October 14, 2014 remain halachically valid and prior converts
remain Jewish in all respects. This ruling follows a review of
the charges contained in the court documents that have been
released to date (including the criminal complaint, search and
arrest warrants, and accompanying affidavits) and applicable
Jewish law with respect to the status of prior conversions.
- In an emergency meeting
on Wednesday, October 15, 2014,
the day before Shmini Atzeret,
the RCA Executive Committee
voted unanimously to suspend
Rabbi Freundel from all
positions of leadership in the
RCA, from RCA membership and,
together with the Beth Din of
America, from all activities
related to conversion.
- On
Sunday, October 19, 2014, the
RCA, together with the Beth Din
of America, announced, “Based
upon a review of the charges
contained in the court documents
that have been released to date
(including the criminal
complaint, search and arrest
warrants, and accompanying
affidavits) and applicable
Jewish law with respect to the
status of prior conversions, the
Beth Din of America has
concluded as a matter of Jewish
law that conversions performed
by Rabbi Freundel prior to
October 14, 2014 remain
halachically valid, and prior
converts are to be considered
Jewish in all respects.”
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The
RCA and the Beth Din of America
have agreed that every Beit Din
assembled under their Geirus
Protocol and Standards (GPS)
will appoint a woman (or group
of women) to serve as ombudsman
to receive any concerns of
female candidates to conversion.
The name of this person will be
provided to all conversion
candidates at the beginning of
the conversion process.
Prospective converts will be
assured that their standing in
the conversion process will not
be compromised by communicating
with the ombudsman, and that any
such communications will remain
confidential to the extent
possible.
The RCA will
appoint a commission composed of
rabbis, lay leaders and
mental health professionals
(including men and women) to
review the current GPS
conversion process and suggest
safeguards against possible abuses. This commission will
report its findings to the RCA
Executive Committee by January
31, 2015.
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RCA leadership is
in close contact with Kesher
Israel leadership and expects to
continue
a dialogue regarding
this matter.
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Rabbi Mark
Dratch, MSW, Executive Vice
President of the RCA, is
available to speak
confidentially with any
concerned party. Rabbi Dratch
can be reached at
mdratch@rabbis.org or
212-807-9000.
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In July 2004,
the RCA established the Vaad
Hatzedek policy and procedures
regarding allegations of
impropriety against an RCA
member
(http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=100551).
The RCA will post information
about these procedures, with an
easy link to communicating with
the proper persons, on the home
page of its website.
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