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Excerpted Transcript - Boller Questions Witnesses at Hearing

This transcript captures Commissioner Carrie Prejean Boller’s questioning during the February 9 White House Religious Liberty Commission hearing, where she pressed witnesses on the distinction between anti‑Semitism and political Zionism. Her exchange centers on whether Americans — including Catholics — may condemn the killing of Palestinian civilians, reject political Zionism, or decline to support the modern State of Israel without being labeled anti‑Semitic.

Boller’s primary dialogue is with Yitzchok Frankel, a UCLA law student who testified about anti‑Semitic harassment on campus. Frankel repeatedly asserts that anti‑Zionism is anti‑Semitism, citing the IHRA framework and arguing that denying Israel’s right to exist constitutes a discriminatory double standard. Boller challenges this definition, noting that Catholics do not embrace Zionism, and asks whether Catholics would therefore be considered anti‑Semites under Frankel’s view.

Boller also references remarks from Rabbi Shapiro, a New York rabbi who was invited but not present, quoting his argument that Zionist ideology can create harmful assumptions about American Jews’ loyalty and belonging. She asks Frankel whether Shapiro’s critique is anti‑Semitic; Frankel responds by invoking Natan Sharansky’s “three D’s” test (delegitimization, demonization, double standards).

Interaction with Rabbi Ari Berman
The transcript shows that Rabbi Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University, directly engaged Boller’s line of questioning. After Frankel affirmed that anti‑Zionism is anti‑Semitism, Berman entered the discussion to reinforce that position, stating that denying Israel’s right to exist while not applying the same standard to other nations constitutes “a double standard, hypocrisy, and absolutely anti‑Semitism.” When Boller cautioned against Islamophobic framing, Berman clarified that no such intent was present and reiterated that singling out Jews as the only people denied a right to a state is discriminatory. Boller pressed him further, noting that Catholics do not embrace Zionism and asking whether Catholics would therefore be considered anti‑Semites. Berman responded that while he does not personally label individuals, self‑described anti‑Zionists adopt positions that meet the criteria for anti‑Semitism under the double‑standard analysis he outlined. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick then intervened to redirect the discussion and limit further exploration of Boller’s question.

Throughout the exchange, Patrick — chairing the hearing — intermittently intervenes, first to redirect the discussion and later to curtail additional questioning. Boller emphasizes that her concerns relate to protected speech, religious conscience, and the constitutional right to dissent from foreign‑policy doctrines, including Zionism, without being accused of bigotry.

The transcript concludes with brief remarks from Dr. Ben Carson, who commends the participants’ passion and attempts to bring clarity before the video cuts off.