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Unbelievably, the only Hasidic female lawyer in Kiryas Joel manages to raise a family of eight children, be a wife, practice law, do Hasidic outreach and education and even bake Challahs for Shabbos. She also incidentally just made a Shidduch with her oldest son.
Mazel Tov!


Rachel Freier, a Hasidic woman, explains to a crowd Sunday evening at Congregation Eitz Chaim in Monroe that different sects of Hasidic men wear different hats. Freier, a lawyer, was there to help correct misconceptions people might have about Hasidic life in Kiryas Joel, where she lives.

Monroe — The questions came spontaneously:

Are arranged marriages between Hasidic couples happy ones?

Do the Hasidim allow their children to explore philosophical doctrines or cultures other than those taught to them by their community?

Do Hasidic residents think about global warming, or any other consequences of their explosive population growth?

The answers came just as honestly.

Yes, Hasidic marriages are happy for the most part, though there are rare instances of divorce, said Rachel Freier.

No, Hasidim do not believe in subjecting children to temptation, recognizing how frail humans are when it comes to sin, she said.

And, no, Hasidim do not think about global warming. The zeal with which they pursue their family life does not allow the luxury of planning, she told the audience of about two dozen people from the secular community gathered Sunday at Eitz Chaim Synagogue on Orange Turnpike.

It was an informal affair, part of the synagogue's regular forums arranged by its sisterhood. Freier brought articles of Hasidic culture, including clothing and headpieces. She brought pictures of her family, and spoke of her sons, especially the oldest — she just made arrangements for him to get married.

"It goes without saying that the couple must be in love," she said of arranged Hasidic unions.

Freier spoke of her background: wife and mother of eight children, Brooklyn native, lawyer. She is an anomaly in both the Hasidic and secular world: a professional Hasidic woman willing to reach out to non-Hasidim about her religion and culture.

She provided a rare chance for residents of Orange, Sullivan and Rockland counties to better understand the Hasidic neighbors in their midst.

The Hasidim have a very different view of temptation than the secular world, she explained to a man in the audience who implied that the Hasidic way of life was too stifling. She compared it to allowing a child to be on the Internet unsupervised.

"I don't know if anyone can completely avoid sin, can you?" she asked the audience.

Some Hasidim might act pushy or arrogant, but they do not define the culture, she told a man who complained of Hasidic developers and bungalow owners who ignored laws in his Sullivan County town

"I hear what you're saying, and it hurts me, because I know you're right," she said of some unscrupulous men. "They're giving the impression that this is the way all Hasids are, and it's not."

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/NEWS/802120317