The first hearing of the White House Religious Freedom Commission, which focused on antisemitism in the United States, turned into an extraordinary confrontation over Israel on Monday following sharp statements by one of the committee members, Carrie Prejean Boller.
As first reported by Jewish Insider, Boller, who serves as a committee member appointed by President Donald Trump and is tasked with formulating policy recommendations on religious freedom issues, declared during the debate that she believes "Jews killed Jesus" and that due to her Catholic faith, "she does not support Zionists." During the hearing, she also asked panel participants, "Does my opposition to the State of Israel make me antisemitic, yes or no?" and received boos from some of those present in the room.
Carrie Prejean Boller tells fellow members of the WH Religious Liberty Commission—which was loaded with Jewish/Christian Zionists—that Catholics are under no obligation to support Zionism.
"What I've heard today is that if you don't support Zionism, you are an anti-Semite."
She… pic.twitter.com/ipDlLedK0C
— Chris Menahan 🇺🇸 (@infolibnews) February 10, 2026
During the debate, Boller confronted Jewish witnesses who shared experiences of antisemitism following the Hamas attack on October 7 and argued that the term "antisemitism" is, in her view, defined too broadly. At one point, she even noted that she counted the number of times Israel was mentioned in the debate and demanded that participants "condemn what Israel did in Gaza."
Another statement that sparked sharp reactions was Boller's defense of right-wing influencer Candace Owens, whom she said is not antisemitic. "I have never heard anything antisemitic from her," she said. In the past, Owens referred to Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, as "pedophilia, demons, and child sacrifice... that is their religion," and called Israel a "satanic nation" while noting that it "controls our government." Owens was also previously removed from a Trump campaign event following public criticism over antisemitic content she published.
In response to her statements, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, the only Jewish member of the committee, replied that "I certainly would not presume to speak on behalf of all Jews on any issue... the same thing must be said when speaking on behalf of Catholics in the United States." Soloveichik then quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio, "who is also a very devout Catholic," who spoke during his visit to Jerusalem about the Jewish people's historical connection to the Land of Israel.
Karen Paikin Barall, chief policy officer at the Louis D. Brandeis Center, shared on X that she attended the hearing. According to her, "It became clear that Commissioner Carrie Prejean Boller arrived with an agenda—often disengaged, reading questions off her phone, and giving the impression they were coming from elsewhere, while struggling to respond when challenged."
I attended today's Religious Liberty hearing and urge everyone to watch it. Powerful, substantive testimony from @AriBermanYU, @ShabbosK, @SethDillon, @coachbrucepearl, @TheLeoTerrell, and multiple Commission members. It became clear that Commissioner Carrie Prejean Boller… https://t.co/OQfVcgDfiw
— Karen Paikin Barall (@kpbarall) February 9, 2026
Alongside her statements at the committee, an examination of her social media activity indicates a sharply critical line toward Israel. In a post she published on Instagram this past January, she accused Israel of a "campaign of extermination," "deliberate starvation," and "murdering children," and attacked Zionist Christians who, according to her, "distort scripture to justify violence." In the post, she noted that as a Catholic, she "refuses to whitewash evil or call it peace." The post's image showed Netanyahu painted in red with a quote bubble allegedly stating, "I did it!"
Meliora Raz, CEO of the StopAntisemitism organization, told Israel Hayom, "Boller's disturbing anti-Israel rhetoric and the encouragement she provides to antisemites like Candace Owens constitute a red line – she has no place on the White House Religious Freedom Commission, and we call on the chairman, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, to remove her."
