DC Rabbi Sentenced To Six Years In Prison For Videotaping Nude Synagogue Members

The "Peeping Rabbi" has been sentenced.

Rabbi Barry Freundel was sentenced to 6-1/2 years for secretly videotaping dozens of women naked in the mikveh of his high-profile Washington D.C. synagogue. The disgraced cleric was sentenced to 45 days for each of 52 counts of voyeurism. The courtroom cheered the decision and Freundel was taken into custody immediately D.C. Judge Geoffrey M. Alprin called Freundel’s sex spree at the Kesher Israel ritual bath a “classic case of abuse of power and violation of trust.” Dozens of women wore orange to the hearing to back a prison sentence for the rabbi, whom they say violated their trust and trampled on common decency. Freundel pleaded for his freedom, claiming that he was a changed man and hoped to make amends. The mikveh, or ritual bath, is used most frequently as purification by people converting to Judaism and by Jewish women seven days after the end of their menstrual cycle. Police began investigating Freundel, who headed the Kesher synagogue for 25 years, when a woman found a camera in a clock radio in the bathing area and turned it over to officers. “I was violated … my rabbi is a pervert,” one unidentified victim said, according to court documents. Another said: “We were at our most holy and our most naked, and he was watching it all.”

The synagogue counts many major DC figures among its members, including Sen. Joe Lieberman. Freundel, who was fired in January, could have faced a much longer sentence but about 100 additional counts could not be levied due to the statute of limitations.

NEW YORK: Flight Delayed Because Hasidim Wouldn't Sit Next To Women

A flight from New York City to Tel Aviv was delayed on Wednesday because ultra-Orthodox passengers refused to sit next to women.

According to the passengers who were on the plane, their fellow ultra-Orthodox travelers refused to sit next to women prior to the takeoff, which not only delayed the flight, but caused actual chaos to ensue on the plane. "People stood in the aisles and refused to go forward," said Amit Ben-Natan, a passenger who was on board the plane. "Although everyone had tickets with seat numbers that they purchased in advance, they asked us to trade seats with them, and even offered to pay money, since they cannot sit next to a woman. It was obvious that the plane won't take off as long as they keep standing in the aisles."

Galit, another traveler on the flight, said the ultra-orthodox passengers suggested she and her spouse split up to better accommodate their desired seating arrangements: "Why should I agree to switch places?" she said with anger. After she refused, the haredi man seated next to her conceded, but it was only temporary: "I ended up sitting next to a haredi man who jumped out of his seat the moment we had finished taking off and proceeded to stand in the aisle." It seems that after takeoff a large portion of the haredi travelers took to the aisle to pray which, according to their fellow travelers, crowded the aisle and caused the flight to be unbearable. "I went to the bathroom and it was a mission impossible, the noise was endless," Galit said.

The airline has promised to look into "future steps" to prevent the issue from recurring.

Second-Largest Religions By State

Via the Washington Post:

In the Western U.S., Buddhists represent the largest non-Christian religious bloc in most states. In 20 states, mostly in the Midwest and South, Islam is the largest non-Christian faith tradition. And in 15 states, mostly in the Northeast, Judaism has the most followers after Christianity. Hindus come in second place in Arizona and Delaware, and there are more practitioners of the Baha’i faith in South Carolina than anyone else. All these data come from the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, which conducts a U.S. Religion Census every 10 years.

Hit the link for a breakdown by every US county. Christianity dominates in all but one of the 3143 counties in the nation.

Jews Ordered To "Register" In Ukraine

Via USA Today:

Jews in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk where pro-Russian militants have taken over government buildings were told they have to "register" with the Ukrainians who are trying to make the city become part of Russia, according to Israeli media. Jews emerging from a synagogue say they were handed leaflets that ordered the city's Jews to provide a list of property they own and pay a registration fee "or else have their citizenship revoked, face deportation and see their assets confiscated," reported Ynet News, Israel's largest news website. Donetsk is the site of an "anti-terrorist" operation by the Ukraine government, which has moved military columns into the region to force out militants who are demanding a referendum be held on joining Russia. The leaflets bore the name of Denis Pushilin, who identified himself as chairman of "Donetsk's temporary government," and were distributed near the Donetsk synagogue and other areas, according to the report.

An estimated 67,000 Jews live in Ukraine. The leaflets demand a $50 registration fee.

Robertson: Jews Are Too Busy Polishing Diamonds To Work On Their Cars

And Pat Robertson knows a LOT about polishing diamonds.

NEW YORK CITY: 50,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jews March In Protest Of Israeli Draft

The Times Of Israel reports:

The widespread opposition to the draft poses a challenge to the country, which is grappling with a cultural war over the place of the ultra-Orthodox in Israeli society. The issue of army service is at the core of that struggle. Since Israel’s founding in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox, who make up about 8 percent of Israel’s 8 million citizens, largely have been allowed to avoid military service, compulsory for most Jewish men, to pursue their religious studies. Older men often don’t work and collect welfare stipends while continuing to study full time. The ultra-Orthodox insist their young men serve the nation through prayer and study, thus preserving Jewish learning and heritage, and by maintaining a pious way of life that has kept Jewish culture alive through centuries of persecution. But the exemption has enraged secular Israelis who say the ultra-Orthodox are not doing their fair share.

FRC Vice President Jerry Boykin: Jews Are The Cause Of All The World's Problems

Three months ago Family Research Council president Tony Perkins joined seven evangelical members of Congress, including Rep. Michele Bachmann, in a tour of Israel during which they met privately with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Perkins followed up that visit with more of his regular missives about how Americans need to support Israel above all other allies. Take it away, Southern Poverty Law Center:

Family Research Council’s executive vice president, Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin (retired), was caught on a “hot mic” following a panel yesterday at the National Security Action Summit, which was held just down the street from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Boykin could be heard, in an awkward attempt at humor, telling a reporter from Israel that “Jews are the problem” and the “cause of all the problems in the world.” Boykin told another reporter that President Obama identifies with and supports Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood and uses subliminal messages to express this support. Boykin appeared on a panel yesterday – “Benghazigate: The Ugly Truth and the Cover-up” – as part of the summit held near Washington, DC, which was organized by Frank Gaffney to highlight speakers, like himself, who were not invited to speak at CPAC. Gaffney has alienated himself by repeatedly claiming that the American Conservative Union, which organizes CPAC, has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The SPLC recaps Boykin's history:

Boykin has said that Jews must be converted to Christianity and believes that American Jews don’t understand Hitler and support Democrats as a result. He has also argued that Obama is using the Affordable Care Act to create a Hitler-style Brownshirt army to force Marxism on America. Boykin is best known for his animus against Muslims. He has argued that the First Amendment does not apply to Islam. He has also said that Christians must go on offense against Islam, there should be no more mosques built in America and there can be no interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Not surprisingly, Boykin’s military career was derailed by his anti-Muslim advocacy, earning him a rebuke from President George W. Bush and a Pentagon investigation that found he had violated military rules.

Boykin is also a columnist for World Net Daily and last month CNN had him on as an "expert" on Iraq. Here's the audio of his crack about Jews.

(Tipped by JMG reader RL)

Rabbis Stand With LGBT Ugandans

From a petition launched by the American Jewish World Service:

Dear President Museveni, I am writing to implore you, respectfully, to veto Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill that was recently passed by the Ugandan Parliament. As a rabbi, I honor the inherent dignity of each and every person. Jewish theology, tradition and history compel me to uphold the values of kavod habriyot, respect for all of creation, and btzelem elohim, the notion that all people--including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people--are created in the Divine image. Tragically, I know from our history that the stripping away of human rights from specific minorities is often a precursor to targeted destruction. If this bill is signed into law, it would be a grave violation of human rights and would be one of the most abhorrent manifestations of discrimination against LGBT people worldwide.

Read the full petition. (Tipped by JMG reader David)

Headline Of The Day

Details.

Rabbi Josef Mizrachi: Romans Invented The False Religion Of Christianity

Because circumcision. Or something. This is the guy who two weeks ago declared that the Torah commands that all homosexuals be stoned to death.

The Torah Makes No Distinction: Even Butch Homos Must Be Stoned To Death

From the about page for Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi:

Kiruv Organization is a Non Profit Organization founded 16 years ago in 1995 by Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi in New York for the purpose of connecting Jews to Judaism and Torah. As of today there are more than 56,000 followers on Rabbi Mizrachi’s FaceBook page whom listen to lectures and read articles on a daily basis. Rabbi’s very successful FaceBook page receives over a million visits per month. Kiruv Organization has given out thousands of DVDs, Audio CDs, MP3 CDs which include famous films such as Divine Information, Torah and Science, The Debate Christianity vs. Judaism, Life after Life, and many more. There are literally thousands of Baaley Teshuva from all the activities, many of them learning Torah in some of the best Yeshivas in Israel and the USA. Rabbi Mizrachi also opened a Yeshiva in Jerusalem in 2001. As of now the Yeshiva has 24 top sculer avrechim whom learn Torah all day in a very high level.

According to Mizrachi, the Torah makes no distinction between men who are born gay and feminine and those who are "perfectly normal" and "choose" to become gay after marrying a woman.  "There is no difference in the Torah between one gay to another. The Torah says everyone who did an act of homosexuality has to be put to death."

Headline Of The Day

Whoa.

Iran's President: Happy Rosh Hashanah

Well, that seems encouraging. Rouhani was elected in May by a landslide vote that some foreign observers characterized as a rejection of the Iranian conservatism epitomized by Ahmadinejad.

Netanyahu Issues Rosh Hashanah Warning

Rosh Hashanah begins on Wednesday.

Now Available: Kosher Lube

A group of rabbis in California have certified a line of lube as kosher for Orthodox Jews.

The US-made Wet range of lubes now has eight lines that have been given a religious stamp of approval, including its "Ecstasy" product. This means that rabbis from the Rabbinical Council of California have inspected Wet's 52,000 sq ft production plant and researched the origins of every ingredient to check none comes from items prohibited by kosher rules. As with many great innovations, the lubricant resulted from personal motivation. Sean Smith, president of Trigg Laboratories, which produces Wet, converted to Judaism after marrying a Jewish-Israeli woman.

And why does lube need a kosher certification, while other products such as sunscreen and moisturizers do not? Because lube could be swallowed.  (Tipped by JMG reader Kevin)

NEW YORK CITY: 30,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jews Rally Against Israeli Draft

An estimated 30,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews rallied in downtown Manhattan this week to protest Israel's proposed bill to phase out military exemptions based on religious grounds.

Proponents of the new law have suggested that phasing out the exemption would encourage ultra-Orthodox Jews to “share the burden” of Israeli citizenship and eliminate a fundamental social inequality that has bred a strong resentment of the ultra-Orthodox within Israel. The issue has been a focus of recurring social justice protests. According to the World Jewish Congress, Sunday’s demonstrators hailed mainly from two factions of Satmar Hasidism, an ultra-Orthodox and traditionally anti-Zionist sect of Judaism. The formal speeches attempted to steer away from anti-Zionist sentiment, and protesters were asked to put away signs bearing messages against the State of Israel. The Rabbinical Council of America, which represents mainstream Orthodoxy, had condemned the protest in advance, saying that it was anti-Israel.

Israeli Finance Minister Backs Marriage

More on Yair Lapid can be found here.  The below statement was made on May 18th.

(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

Gay Rabbi To Head Rabbinical Group

Yesterday Rabbi Jason Klein was elected to head the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. He is the first openly gay man to head any such group in the United States.  Israel's Haaretz reports:

Reconstructionist and Reform seminaries have ordained gay rabbis for decades. The Conservative movement began to allow openly gay rabbis to attend their seminaries in 2006. Orthodox seminaries and rabbinic associations continue to bar gay rabbis. The Reconstructionist movement is the smallest and newest of the non-Orthodox movements in the United States. Its ideas, however, have been particularly influential, and graduates of its seminary, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Seminary, fill a wide range of positions throughout the Jewish community.

UDPATE: JMG reader Wayne writes to note that the group was earlier headed by openly lesbian Toba Spitzer.

Here's An Israeli Homocon Muslim/Jew

And he's dating an ultra-Orthodox Jew. I smell a sitcom!

(Tipped by JMG reader David)

Orthodox Rabbis Denounce "Ex-Gay" Therapy By Jewish Group JONAH

Pink News reports today that the Rabbinical Council of America has denounced JONAH, the Jewish "ex-gay" group based in New Jersey which was just sued for fraud by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They also want JONAH to remove a letter from their website which claims that the Rabbinical Council has endorsed their work. Their statement:

“As rabbis trained in Jewish law and values, we base our religious positions regarding medical matters on the best research and advice of experts and scholars in those areas, along with concern for the religious, emotional, and physical welfare of those impacted by our decisions. Our responsibility is to apply halakhic (Jewish legal) values to those opinions. Despite numerous attempts by the RCA to have mention of that original letter removed from the JONAH website, our calls, letters, and emails remain unanswered.”

The Rabbinical Council represents over 1000 Orthodox rabbis in the United States.

UNRELATED: Also yesterday the Rabbinical Council posted a message to "express dismay" over the vote to upgrade Palestine's status at the United Nations.