The first Hasidic woman ever elected as a criminal court judge is spreading a message to inspire others.

"This great city that we live in was able to accommodate my religious observances. I've seen a multicultural environment, I've seen New York City at its best," Rachel Freier says.

Many young women in her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Midwood listened to her story Sunday.

"I was a kid just like anybody else and I always say if I can do it, anybody can and that's what I want to share," she says.

Freier spoke of her conservative upbringing in a community where she says girls are sheltered, and about the family and mentors she describes as "wonderful."

The judge, wife, mother and grandmother says she is proud to embrace her profession, and says it's her traditional faith that carries her through.