Religious Liberty Commissioner Removed After Heated Exchange with President Berman at Antisemitism Hearing
Right-wing activist Carrie Prejean Boller was removed from the White House Religious Liberty Commission after setting off a heated exchange with YU President Ari Berman during a public hearing on antisemitism in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
“Carrie Prejean Boller has been removed from President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission,” commissioner chair Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wrote in a post to X on Wednesday. “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.”
The Religious Liberty Commission was established under an executive order signed by President Trump on May 1, 2025 and is housed under the Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include providing the White House with legislative recommendations for protecting religious liberties in the U.S. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, director of the Straus Center at YU, was appointed as a member last year and delivered the opening blessing for the hearing.
During Monday’s hearing, Boller, who was named to the Commission in June and wore a pin depicting both the American and Palestinian flags, argued that anti-Zionism is not antisemitic and that “Catholics do not embrace Zionism.”
Footage of Berman’s response and the subsequent exchange that followed has gone viral on social media, with more than 3 million views on X.
“Undoubtedly, anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” Berman said to Boller. “One does not have to support the specific policies of the government of Israel — but to not support the right of Israel to exist — which is what anti-Zionists do — while not taking that same stand to the 28 Muslim countries and 13 Christian countries in this world is a double standard, hypocrisy and is absolutely antisemitism.” Boller responded to Berman saying, “It’s also important that we do not make Islamophobic remarks while we are here today.”
“G-d forbid was anything like that said,” Berman said. “But if the Jewish people are the only people that you deny the right to have its own state, that is absolutely a double standard.”
As Boller responded, Patrick interrupted.
“Carrie, I’m going to interrupt the discussion; our committee is focused on religious liberty taken from all people, whether that be Muslims, Jews, Christians or Sikhs. This is not a commission on defining religions or calling out any theology; this is not the commission for that.”
“The one thing we should be careful about is speaking on behalf of all members of a religious community, even if one is a member of that religious community,” Soloveichik said in his closing remarks. “I certainly wouldn’t claim to speak for all Jews on all subjects. We’re not known for agreeing on everything, and that certainly should be said for speaking about Catholics in America.”
Later, responding to Seth Dillon, CEO of conservative satirical publication The Babylon Bee, Boller defended conservative podcaster Candace Owens against allegations of antisemitism. During the discussion, Dillon asked if she believed Owens ever said something antisemitic.
“No, I don’t,” Boller responded. “I listen to her daily and I haven’t heard one thing out of her mouth that I would say is antisemitic.”
Owens, who was named “Antisemite of the Year” by StopAntisemitism, has claimed that Jews were behind the slave trade, that Israel was involved with the assassination of Charlie Kirk and had advance knowledge of 9/11 and has questioned accounts of the Holocaust, calling them “completely absurd” and “propaganda.”
Following Patrick’s announcement of Boller’s removal, Owens criticized the decision in a post on X:
“Carrie didn’t hijack anything,” Owens wrote, adding that the commission had “hosted a performative Zionist hearing meant to neuter the Christian faith.”
“Carrie spoke truth, as a Catholic, and Christians, the Truth cannot be defeated,” she continued. “Zionists are naturally hostile to Catholics because we refuse to bend the knee to revisionist history and support the mass slaughter and rape of innocent children for occult Baal worshipers. Your decision will only further the Christian enlightenment which is taking place in this country. And for that, we thank you.”
Boller defended her views on X, writing, “I will continue to stand against Zionist supremacy in America. I’m a proud Catholic. I, in no way will be forced to embrace Zionism as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. I am a free American. Not a slave to a foreign nation.”
Activist Shabbos Kestenbaum, who personally experienced antisemitism at Harvard University, also provided testimony. Kestenbaum was on the Wilf Campus last week, attending the Lieberman-Mitzner Center “In Dialogue” series with Jewish social media influencer and pro-Israel advocate Lizzy Savetsky. He was pressed by Boller during the hearing to condemn Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Boller, in a post on X, claimed that Patrick does not have the ability to remove her from the Commission.
“You did not appoint me to the Commission, and you lack authority to remove me from it,” she wrote. “This is a gross overstepping of your role and leads me to believe you are acting in alignment with a Zionist political framework that hijacked the hearing, rather than in defense of religious liberty.”
“Let’s be clear: it was President Trump who fired her,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) responded on X.
“Rabbi Berman’s display of maturity and values-driven representation of the Jewish people at the Commission was an incredible display of the very point he was trying to make,” Yishai Gross (YC ‘28) told The Commentator. “His ability to stay focused on what really matters instead of allowing antisemitism to create a diversion is a perfect embodiment of what he’s working to accomplish.”
Photo Caption: The Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
