A hearing at the White House Religious Freedom Commission, held Monday and focused on antisemitism in the United States, devolved into an extraordinary confrontation after committee member Carrie Prejean Boller chose to redirect the discussion toward Israel and Gaza while incorporating antisemitic statements, leading to her removal from the commission. One of the central witnesses in the discussion was Shabbos Kestenbaum, a American-Jewish activist, who said he was surprised not only by the questions asked but by the disregard for the actual topic.
"I took ten minutes in my opening testimony not to mention Israel, the Middle East, Gaza, Zionism or Netanyahu," he said. "I did this deliberately because I'm accused of being 'Israel First', or a foreign agent. I wanted the audience to understand the problem here is American."
According to him, his testimony focused on concrete examples of religious discrimination in the United States. "I spoke about anti-Christian, anti-Mormon, and anti-Jewish discrimination. I brought practical cases happening on campuses and explained how such a commission, and how the federal administration, can actually help."
But instead of addressing what was said, Kestenbaum claims Boller chose to divert the discourse. "At the end of the hearing, after she sat almost the entire time busy on her phone, she decided to ask questions. Not about what we said, not about how to advance religious freedom in the US, but about our opinions regarding conflicts in the Middle East," he said. "It was completely disconnected from reality and from the discussion that took place." During the exchange, Boller pressed Kestenbaum to condemn Israel for what is happening in Gaza, claiming "70,000 innocent civilians" were murdered, while completely ignoring Hamas' actions.
During the discussion, Boller declared that due to her Catholic faith, she believes "Jews killed Jesus" and that she "doesn't embrace Zionists." During the hearing, she also asked panel participants, "Because of my opposition to the State of Israel, am I antisemitic, yes or no?" and received jeers from some of those present in the hall.
Kestenbaum emphasized he does not seek to restrict free speech. "I'm not interested in policing people's thoughts or words," he said. "Students at Harvard or anywhere else should be free to say 'Free Palestine' or 'Globalize the Intifada.' Free speech, even if it's ugly, is free speech."
However, according to him, the red line is clear. "The problem starts when words become actions, when students block Jews or Christians from accessing public spaces, events or classrooms. Here, we're no longer talking about an opinion but about a violation of federal law. And that's exactly what we saw on campuses."
Regarding Boller's religious statements, Kestenbaum said the question for him is not just whether it constitutes antisemitism. "If someone says 'Jews killed Jesus,' I don't dwell on the question of whether it's antisemitic or not," he said. "What concerns me more is how someone who displays such basic biblical ignorance finds herself on a panel appointed by the White House."
According to him, Catholic clergy, including priests, were present during that day's discussion and condemned what was said. "And yet she felt comfortable speaking on behalf of hundreds of millions of Catholics worldwide, despite converting to the faith less than a year ago. I wish I had that confidence," he added cynically.
Beyond the specific incident, Kestenbaum sees antisemitism as an expression of a deeper problem in American society. "We're teaching young people that their failures stem from Jews," he said. "This is a destructive perception. It creates despair, extremism, and ultimately violence."
Following the confrontation, the exchange spilled over to social media Tuesday. Boller accused Kestenbaum of calling Hamas a "rapist Islamic regime," claimed his words reflect "offensive generalization toward Islam," and made clear she would "not resign from this commission." She added that "Zionist supremacy has no place on an American religious freedom commission." Kestenbaum responded that he stands behind his words, stating clearly that Hamas is a rapist Islamic regime and that those who think differently are welcome to start their own commission but should not tarnish the MAGA agenda and President Trump's mission.
Tuesday, commission chairman and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced that Boller "has been removed from President Trump's Religious Freedom Commission" and made clear that "no commission member has the right to hijack a hearing for a personal and political agenda on any issue." According to him, "This is exactly what happened Monday at our hearing on antisemitism in America," emphasizing it was "my decision." Patrick added that the commission will submit "one of the most important reports in American history directly to the president," and that "the president respects all religions" and believes in Americans' right to their heritage, anchored in the First Amendment.
Following Boller's removal, Kestenbaum responded, "Unfortunately, at the White House hearing on religious freedom that focused on religious discrimination against American Christians and American Jews, a commission member chose to hijack the agenda, tarnish the MAGA movement and focus exclusively on the Middle East conflict. Let it be clear – Americans are free not to like Zionism, not to like the State of Israel, not to like the Jewish people. What concerns us is violation of federal law, which the commissioner showed no interest in."
