Rabbi Barry Freundel’s arrest last week on voyeurism charges wasn’t the first time Washington’s Kesher Israel was ensnared in a sordid crime case.

In 1984, Rabbi Philip Rabinowitz — Freundel’s predecessor in the Orthodox shul — was brutally murdered in his Georgetown home. The Poland-born Rabinowitz, who had served Kesher Israel for 34 years, was found stabbed and bludgeoned in his home.

The crime was never solved. Read JTA’s coverage at the time.

The tragedy and its immediate aftermath was addressed more comprehensively in this article in the Baltimore Jewish Times.

Julie Wiener is JTA’s online editor. Follow her on Twitter @Julie_Wiener