Barry Freundel
Encyclopedia
Bernard Freundel is the rabbi
of Kesher Israel
congregation in Washington DC, and a leading rabbi in the Modern Orthodox
Jewish world. He is Vice-President of the Vaad
of Washington and head of the conversion committee of the Rabbinical Council of America
. Rabbi Freundel is regarded as a resource and authority on eruvim
, and has assisted in their construction in a number of cities, including Washington.
A writer and lecturer, Rabbi Freundel addresses topics ranging from environmentalism
to Jewish medical ethics
. Popular among collegiates, he has served as a visiting scholar at Princeton
, Yale
and Cornell
and guest lecturer at Columbia
, University of Chicago
and other universities. He is also an adjunct professor at several universities. Due to his congregation's proximity to The George Washington University, he has taught at and visited that institution with particular frequency. Similarly, his proximity to Capitol Hill has facilitated his participation in governmental affairs as a consultant and commentator.
, abortion
is only permitted when a woman is in "hard travail" and her life is in danger. This is a very limiting position, Freundel pointed out, since there must be serious danger to the mother. This does, however, also include cases where there is significant psychological trauma, wherein continuing the pregnancy could inflict significant or mortal harm to the mother in that fashion (such as a rape victim who become suicidal). Freundel believes that there is no way, under Jewish law
, to allow partial-birth abortion, since once the head has emerged, the baby is considered to be born.
perspective. The first is whether cloning is allowed, and the second is whether a clone would be considered a human being.
He does not view cloning as being prohibited by halakha
, and even sees "becoming a partner with God in the works of creation" as a noble goal. He does however support regulation, and at a congressional hearing urged congress not to prohibit human cloning, but to regulate it. He argued that human knowledge and technology are inherent neutral, it's what's done with them that is important.
Freundel strongly maintains that a clone would be considered a human being under Jewish law
.
. In it he argued that there is no category for "homosexual" in halakha
. A homosexual then is no different from any other Jew who has committed a sin
. Since Freundel views homosexuality as an activity rather than a state of being, he advocates the kiruv approach - trying to make a less observant Jew more observant by following halakha
.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
of Kesher Israel
Kesher Israel
Kesher Israel is an Orthodox synagogue located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Writer and professor Barry Freundel is the Congregation's rabbi.-History:...
congregation in Washington DC, and a leading rabbi in the Modern Orthodox
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
Jewish world. He is Vice-President of the Vaad
Vaad
Vaad is a Hebrew term for a council of rabbis. It is a diasporic phenomenon, having no precedent in Talmudic times. A Vaad has different responsibilities from a beth din .-Historical:Older examples include the Council of Four Lands....
of Washington and head of the conversion committee of the Rabbinical Council of America
Rabbinical Council of America
The Rabbinical Council of America is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU...
. Rabbi Freundel is regarded as a resource and authority on eruvim
Eruv
An Eruv is a ritual enclosure around most Orthodox Jewish and Conservative Jewish homes or communities. In such communities, an Eruv is seen to enable the carrying of objects out of doors on the Jewish Sabbath that would otherwise be forbidden by Torah law...
, and has assisted in their construction in a number of cities, including Washington.
A writer and lecturer, Rabbi Freundel addresses topics ranging from environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
to Jewish medical ethics
Jewish medical ethics
Jewish medical ethics is a modern scholarly and clinical approach to medical ethics that draws upon Jewish thought and teachings. Pioneered by Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits in the 1950s, Jewish medical ethics centers mainly around an applied ethics drawing upon traditional rabbinic law...
. Popular among collegiates, he has served as a visiting scholar at Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and guest lecturer at Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and other universities. He is also an adjunct professor at several universities. Due to his congregation's proximity to The George Washington University, he has taught at and visited that institution with particular frequency. Similarly, his proximity to Capitol Hill has facilitated his participation in governmental affairs as a consultant and commentator.
Education
- B.S., Yeshiva College; double major in Chemistry and Physics
- B.S., Erna Michael College of Hebraic Studies;
- M.S. in Talmudic Studies from the Bernard Revel Graduate School
- semichaSemicha, also , or is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism. In this sense it is the "transmission" of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment in Jewish law...
(rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological SeminaryRabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological SeminaryRabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary , or Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University, located in Washington Heights, New York. It is named after Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, who died the year it was founded, 1896...
(RIETS), part of Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva UniversityYeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
. - Ph.D., Baltimore Hebrew University
Other activities
- Adjunct Instructor at the University of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. - Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. - Assistant professor of Rabbinics at Baltimore Hebrew UniversityBaltimore Hebrew UniversityBaltimore Hebrew University was founded as Baltimore Hebrew College and Teachers Training School in 1919 to promote Jewish scholarship and academic excellence, it continues to be the only institution of higher learning in Maryland devoted solely to all aspects of Judaic and Hebraic studies...
. - Adjunct professor at American UniversityAmerican UniversityAmerican University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
. - Consultant to the Ethics Review Board of the National Institute on AgingNational Institute on AgingThe National Institute on Aging ' is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health , located in Baltimore, Maryland.The NIA leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life...
of the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
. - Consultant to the United States Presidential Commission on Cloning. (May 1997).
- Pre-Rabbinics Advisor and Director of Synagogue Services at Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva UniversityYeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
. (August 1986 - June 1989). - Yeshiva University'sYeshiva UniversityYeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
Rabbinic Alumni Association Executive Committee. - Former VP of the Rabbinical Council of AmericaRabbinical Council of AmericaThe Rabbinical Council of America is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU...
. - He appeared in the "War" episode of Da Ali G ShowDa Ali G ShowDa Ali G Show is the name of two related satirical TV series created by and starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and featuring the character Ali G....
.
Abortion
Freundel believes that according to the HalakhaHalakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
is only permitted when a woman is in "hard travail" and her life is in danger. This is a very limiting position, Freundel pointed out, since there must be serious danger to the mother. This does, however, also include cases where there is significant psychological trauma, wherein continuing the pregnancy could inflict significant or mortal harm to the mother in that fashion (such as a rape victim who become suicidal). Freundel believes that there is no way, under Jewish law
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
, to allow partial-birth abortion, since once the head has emerged, the baby is considered to be born.
Cloning
Freundel sees two issues with cloning from a halakhicHalakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
perspective. The first is whether cloning is allowed, and the second is whether a clone would be considered a human being.
He does not view cloning as being prohibited by halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
, and even sees "becoming a partner with God in the works of creation" as a noble goal. He does however support regulation, and at a congressional hearing urged congress not to prohibit human cloning, but to regulate it. He argued that human knowledge and technology are inherent neutral, it's what's done with them that is important.
- Human beings do the best that they can. If our best cost/benefit analysis says go ahead, we go ahead. ‘G-d protects the simple’ is a Talmudic principle that allows us to assume that when we do our best G-d will take care of what we could not foresee or anticipate. If things do not work out, the theological question is G-d's to answer; not ours
Freundel strongly maintains that a clone would be considered a human being under Jewish law
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
.
Homosexuality
Rabbi Freundel published Homosexuality and Judaism in the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary SocietyJournal of Halacha and Contemporary Society
The Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society is a semiannual Orthodox Jewish academic journal published by the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School and edited by Alfred Cohen...
. In it he argued that there is no category for "homosexual" in halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
. A homosexual then is no different from any other Jew who has committed a sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
. Since Freundel views homosexuality as an activity rather than a state of being, he advocates the kiruv approach - trying to make a less observant Jew more observant by following halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
.
- Judaism rejects the suggestions that homosexuality is either a form of mental illness or an "acceptable alternate lifestyle." Judaism's positions would be a third and as yet unconsidered option. Homosexuality is an activity entered into volitionally by individuals, who may be psychologically healthy, which is maladaptive and inappropriate.
Works
Rabbi Freundel has published literally hundreds of works on a variety of subjects too numerous to list here, however he is currently the author of two books:- Contemporary Orthodox Judaism's Response to Modernity, Ktav Publishing House, February 2003, ISBN 0-88125-778-8
- Why We Pray What We Pray: The Remarkable History of Jewish Prayer Urim PublicationsUrim PublicationsUrim Publications, an independent publisher of Jewish interest books, is based in Jerusalem, Israel with an outlet in Brooklyn, New York.Established in 1997 by Tzvi Mauer, Urim publishes approximately fifteen books per year on various topics related to Jewish tradition.In addition to Urim’s status...
November 2010, ISBN 9655240347