In the latest skirmish in an ongoing clash among pro-Israel and anti-Israel conservatives,the chairman of the White House Religious Liberty Commission announced he's kicked a Catholic off the panel after she used a hearing to challenge accusations of antisemitism leveled at opponents of Zionism and Israel.However, that Catholic -- former Miss California Carrie Prejean Boller -- says commission chairman and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has no authority to terminate her, and that she's "looking forward to next month's meeting."

On Monday, the commission held a hearing on "Religious Liberty Implications of Anti-Semitism." Temperatures rose when Boller started challenging witnesses, withmuch of her questioning aimed at scrutinizing their definitions of antisemitismand, specifically, challenging the idea that opposition to the political ideology of Zionism is inherently antisemitic. Zionism is centered on the establishment and maintenance of a nation-state for Jews. Notably, Zionism is opposedby some Jews, including some Jewsliving in Israel.

“I’m a Catholic and Catholics do not embrace Zionism,"Boller told Yeshiva University President Ari Berman. "Just so you know. So are all Catholics antisemites, according to you?” Berman replied, "If someone says they are an anti-Zionist, they are saying about themselves that they have a double-standard, and hypocrisy, and are taking antisemitic positions."

Addressing Yitzchok Frankel, a law student who sued the University of California, Boller quoted New York Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro, who said"Zionist ideology falsely claims Israel is the nation-state of Jews everywhere, and that every Jew is...tied to it. This framing is antisemitic at its core...[imposing] collective guilt for actions we neither chose nor control."The exchange with Frankelended with him asserting that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.

Addressing Shabbos Kestenbaum, an activist who in 2024 sued Harvard for allegedly failing to protect students from antisemitism, Boller turned to Israel's war on Gaza:“Since we’ve mentioned Israel a total of 17 times, are you willing to condemn what Israel has done in Gaza?”The testy exchange prompted Patrick to intervene:

Catholic activist@CarriePrejean1confronts Shabbos Kestenbaum with a direct question demanding condemnation of what happened in Gaza after Israel was mentioned 17 times, before Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick steps in to stop her—a bold and courageous moment that reflects her…pic.twitter.com/SDaGvEufrf

A backlash ensued, with prominent pro-Israel voices across social media condemning Boller's questioning, and demanding that she resign or be fired.Some questioned Boller's authority to make blanket statements about what Catholics thinkabout Zionism and Israel. Amid the dust-up, Boller posted anopen letter to Kestenbaum, refuting the idea that she derailed the proceedings to focus on Israel, saying that Israel had already figured heavily in the discourse:

"Nearly every witness framed antisemitism through the lens of Israel and Zionism...Forcing people to affirm Zionism as a condition of participation is not only wrong, it is directly contrary to religious freedom, especially on a body created to protect conscience. As a Catholic, I have both a constitutional right and a God-given freedom of religion and conscience not to endorse a political ideology or government that is carrying out mass civilian killing and starvation."

On Wednesday, commission chair Patrick used social media to announce thatBoller had been removed.

“No member of the commission has the right to hijack a hearing for their own personal and political agenda on any issue.This is clearly, without question, what happened Monday in our hearing on antisemitism in America.This was my decision.”

Source: ZeroHedge News