(JTA) – Rachel Freier of Brooklyn officially became the first Hasidic woman to be sworn in as a judge in New York state. Freier, a mother of six and former lawyer who practiced commercial and residential estate law, was sworn in Thursday, Dec. 22 as the Civil Court judge in Kings County’s 5th judicial district, CBS reported. She won the post in a September election. Her district encompasses the Brooklyn communities of Kensington, Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace, among others. At the swearing-in ceremony, the Hasidic performer Lipa Schmeltzer performed the song “God Bless America” in Yiddish while wearing a white suit with colorful doodles, the vosizneias website reported.

Freier, 51, who is also known as Ruchie, worked as a legal secretary and paralegal to support her husband’s Talmudic studies. She is a graduate of Touro College and Brooklyn Law School, and founded the all-female EMT agency Ezras Nashim.