First Hasidic Woman Elected As Brooklyn Civil Court Judge

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A mother of six has become the first Hasidic woman to become a civil court judge in Brooklyn.

CBS2's Magdalena Doris reports Rachel Freier broke barriers after grabbing nearly 41 percent of votes in the 5th District election, beating two other competitors in the Borough Park election.

"First Hasidic woman to win public office and to sit on the Civil Court Bench," Freier said.

Freier has a long resume: she's a lawyer, a volunteer, a mom, a grandmother and an EMT.

"They have a misconception that women in our community are operated and they don't have the ability to be successful and that's really wrong," she said.

With a cellphone around her neck at all times, she's still on call for Ezras Nashim, the EMT company she helped found two years ago, specifically for Hasidic women.

"We're not here to compete with anyone else. We're not here to say something should be changed. We're women helping women and that's how it happened," Freier said.

Freier also volunteers for a program for at risk youth.

"There's 24 hours in a day, so we can cram in a lot," she said.

Freier said she gets an average of five hours of sleep a night and credits her religion for carrying her through, breaking to pray three times a day.

In January, Freier will add the new title of civil court judge to her name. Her term lasts until 2027.