If there was anything that could be described as productive following last October’s arrest of Rabbi Barry Freundel for mikvah voyeurism, it was with all probability the act that infused the Rabbinical Council of America with an urgency to review and change its Geirus Protocol and Standards (GPS) conversion process.
Freundel, the former spiritual leader of Washington, DC’s Kesher Israel was sentenced to nearly 6 1/2 years in prison, guilty of voyeurism of many women who were using the mikvah on their way to conversion to Judaism.
It was in January of 2007 that the RCA started its North American Regional Network of Conversion Courts with 12 GPS courts. One of the results of the Freundel arrest was the emergence of many converts who brought up issues concerning their conversions. So many came forward that in a matter of two weeks after Freundel’s arrest, the RCA went ahead and created a commission to review the GPS Network.
The committee was chaired by Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, Honorary President of the RCA and the spiritual leader of Ahavath Torah in Englewood. The group included rabbis, women considered experts in family purity laws and two female converts to Judaism.
“We had for a long time decided to do an analysis of the whole system,” Rabbi Goldin told the Jewish Link. “The terrible events surrounding Washington just gave it an added impetus. At that point we announced the formation of the committee. We set a date that we’d have something done by January or February. Needing more time, the group decided to unveil its findings at the recent RCA Convention.
“What was amazing about the process was to take a look at that makeup of the committee,” continued Rabbi Goldin. “We chose rabbis who were on a different spectrum, two women converts and professional women. It was potentially volatile, but it turned out to be an amazing process. Everyone was trying to get to the same place from different places.”
Goldin also said that when the court system was put in place, he was not such a big fan. He felt conversion was deeply personal and ideally a rabbi would get to know the convert and when the time was right, the rabbi would then bring a beis din together for a conversion. The rabbi felt that GPS would be an added burden.
“What became clear to me was that the converts are thankful that there is a system,” he said. “It gives them a sense of security, and they aren’t going to be questioned about their conversions 10 years from now. The most striking part when the Freundel news broke, it gave power to our goals to get this done and do it right. The Freundel issue happened on our watch and that is problematic. But because we had a system in place and the commitment from the rabbinate in Israel, we could assure Freundel’s converts that they had no problem. That couldn’t have occurred without that system in place. We are giving them a system of security, but it’s our job as rabbis to make them as welcome as possible.”
One of the most meaningful statements given to those attending the convention came from Freundel conversion student Bethany Mandel, who was one of the two converts on the committee.
“I am hopeful that this report will make it better for American conversion candidates going forward,” she said to the conference. “I’m cautiously optimistic.” She told the audience that now it is time to make sure the recommendations are followed.
Those recommendations identified by the Review Committee included:
Professionalism—“efficient and timely communication; respect for timeliness and punctuality of appointments and appreciation of the financial and professional consequences of meetings of converts”
Transparency of Expectations—“upfront information regarding the length of the conversion process; financial obligations; curriculum; demands on convert in terms of knowledge, economic and life-style expectations post conversion”
Sensitivity to Candidates—“respect for their life-changing commitment; sensitivity to the emotional, psychological, personal and economic stresses experienced by conversion candidates”
RCA/GPS Website—enhancing “the website by updating it to include detailed information as to what to expect in the process”
“Establishing a process to receive concerns and complaints and a mechanism to address them”
Sponsoring Rabbis—“more direction and training for Sponsoring Rabbis in the education of conversion candidates and in understanding the emotional process for the convert”
Dayyanim—reviewing “the selection, training and continuing education of Dayyanim”
National GPS Oversight—“Position of GPS Director must become a full-time position”
“Support for converts, during and after the process”
Evelyn Fruchter, an attorney, told the audience that there has to be a mechanism to handle the complaints and grievances of those going through conversions.
“I stand before you today as a Jew converted by a convicted sex offender,” Fruchter said referring to Freundel. “If there is one lesson I have learned from the Freundel scandal and other recent events, it is that rabbis can’t be the only people policing other rabbis. The RCA, in addition to its role with conversions, is a professional organization that helps and advocates on behalf of rabbis. This makes checks and balances a must.”
Mandel said that during her conversion process she as well as others were often made to feel like “third-class citizens during the process and second-class citizens after the process.”
Her participation on the review committee, she said, re-instilled her faith in the process of conversion.
“We came to the table with our sleeves rolled up and we were treated as equals,” she said.”
Rabbi Goldin added that the presentation at the convention created a tremendous momentum. He credited the women on the panel, who with transparency told of their concerns with the system, for contributing to that.
“They didn’t hold back,” said Rabbi Goldin. “There were rabbis in the audience actually crying while listening to this.”
Rabbi Goldin acknowledged that the “Freundel calamity lent a sense of urgency. This happened, and it can’t happen again.”
“Our commitment is to move ahead,” he added. “We didn’t come this far to let it go.”
The complete report along with speeches on audio can be found at the website www.rabbis.org.
Examples of findings of the survey results submitted to the Review Committee:
78 percent of RCA-Beth Din of America conversion participants are women.
Peak years for entering conversion process are 20–29 representing 45 percent of the survey sample.
80 percent of participants surveyed were prompted towards conversion because of a “spiritual-intellectual search.”
94 percent of all respondents cited a desire to convert with a “recognized, Orthodox conversion” for coming to the RCA Beth Din.
One question asked the respondents how they felt about the ritual immersion without clothing although shielded from view, with three rabbis in close proximity.
57 percent answered the “moment was filled with holiness and excitement that left little room for anything else.”
29 percent responded “it was a sanctified moment, but I definitely felt some discomfort.”
12 percent responded “it was awkward and uncomfortable, but I accepted that as a price I had to pay.”
Rabbi Goldin called the report a “historic moment in which the RCA rose to the challenge with complete transparency. Recognizing the critical importance of their perspective, we involved converts, our stakeholders, throughout the committee’s lengthy deliberations. In addition, we encouraged them to publicly present their feelings, positive and negative, to our entire convention last week. The result was deeply moving and potentially transformative for our members. The review process helped us better understand the conversion process generally and will help us fulfill our religious mandates with greater sensitivity and responsibility.”
By Phil Jacobs
