Rep. Becca Balint storms out of Epstein hearing after Pam Bondi raises her record on antisemitism
(JTA) — Rep. Becca Balint stormed out of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s House Judiciary Committee hearing Feb. 11 after Bondi deflected questions about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and instead criticized Balint’s record on antisemitism.
Lawmakers called the hearing to press Bondi on a range of issues, including Epstein.
Balint, a Vermont progressive, asked Bondi during her questioning whether Trump had been aware of billionaire financier Howard Lutnick’s ties to Epstein when he was appointed as commerce secretary. The most recent files released last month showed that Lutnick had visited Epstein’s private island and dined with him years after he said he had cut off ties — and after Epstein pled guilty to sex crimes.
After Bondi refused to answer Balint’s question, the congresswoman replied, “I’m going to conclude that the president, in fact, did know about his ties.”
At the end of Balint’s questioning, which devolved into shouting as Bondi consistently interrupted Balint, Bondi then raised Balint’s record on antisemitism.
“With this antisemitic culture right now, she voted against a resolution condemning ‘from the river to the sea,’” said Bondi, appearing to refer to Balint’s April 2024 vote against a House resolution condemning the common pro-Palestinian slogan. Balint quickly shot back at Bondi’s remarks.
“Oh, do you want to go there, attorney general? Do you want to go there? Are you serious? Talking about antisemitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust? Really? Really?” said Balint, before rising from her seat and exiting the chambers.
Mamdani skips Catholic installation of new archbishop of New York
(JNS) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing mounting criticism for skipping the installation of the new archbishop of New York, which the mayor of the city traditionally attends.
The Catholic League said Mamdani did not go to the installation of Ronald Hicks as the new Archbishop of New York, despite being invited.
“He could easily have been there,” said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League. “Instead, he attended to business as usual.”
Donohue added that “the installation began a few hours after the Interfaith Breakfast at the New York Public Library; it is a short walk up Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”
He noted that one in three New Yorkers is Catholic, representing “the largest faith community in the city,” adding that “Mamdani’s professed interest in diversity and inclusion obviously hits a brick wall when it comes to Catholics. He wants nothing to do with them.”
He said this is the third snub from Mamdani. According to Donohue, “Representatives of the clergy from several religions were present at the inauguration of Zohran Mamdani. But no Catholic priest was there.”
Catholic clergy were also absent from Mamdani’s Interfaith Breakfast on Feb. 6.
As JNS reported, the Anti-Defamation League, UJA-Federation of New York and the New York Board of Rabbis did not sponsor this year’s interfaith prayer gathering as they have in past years. The ADL was not invited. Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the Board of Rabbis, went.
Yale names first scholar-in-residence for antisemitism program
(JNS) — Yale University appointed Magda Teter as its first scholar-in-residence for the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism.
Teter, a historian of antisemitism and professor of history at Fordham University in New York City, will host five events this semester for the university community and the public. The programs will address the history of antisemitism, its recent surge and the challenges facing the field of antisemitism studies.
“I am looking forward to exploring these complex issues with different audiences, especially now when we see both the resurgence of antisemitism and its politicization,” Teter stated.
Teter’s scholarship focuses on the ways early modern religion and culture shaped the development of antisemitism. Growing up in Poland, she said that “the remnants of the Jewish presence made me interested in Jewish history and culture at a time when these topics were still a taboo.”
At Fordham, she held the Shvidler Chair in Judaic Studies and served as co-director of the Center for Jewish Studies. She is president of the American Academy for Jewish Research and previously served as vice president for publications at the Association for Jewish Studies and joint editor-in-chief of AJS Review.
Carrie Prejean Boller ousted from White House Religious Liberty Commission following antisemitism row
(JTA) — Catholic right-wing activist Carrie Prejean Boller has been removed from the White House Religious Liberty Commission over what the chair called her “political agenda” during a public hearing on antisemitism this week.
The announcement of Prejean Boller’s removal by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, an evangelical Christian, on Feb. 11 came after Prejean Boller spurned calls to resign from her post amid mounting backlash over her remarks on Feb. 9.
“Carrie Prejean Boller has been removed from President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission,” Patrick wrote in a post on social media. “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.”
During the hearing, Prejean Boller argued that anti-Zionism is not antisemitic and said her Catholic faith prohibits her from supporting Israel.
“I’m a Catholic, and Catholics do not embrace Zionism, just so you know, so are all Catholics antisemites?” said Prejean Boller, who wore a pin depicting the American and Palestinian flags.
She also defended conservative influencers Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson against antisemitism allegations, later receiving praise from Owens on social media for her defense.
Police investigating anti-Israel, antisemitic graffiti found on Maryland synagogue
(JNS) — Police are investigating antisemitic vandalism discovered on Feb. 10 at Shaare Tefila Congregation in Olney, Md., as local and state officials condemned the incident and pledged accountability.
Officers from the Montgomery County Police Department’s 4th District responded to the conservative synagogue on Georgia Avenue around 8 a.m., following reports of graffiti.
Police stated that sometime overnight between Feb. 9 and Feb. 10, unknown suspects spray-painted antisemitic phrases and symbols on multiple signs in front of the synagogue. The department said it is actively investigating, canvassing the area and reviewing surveillance footage. Patrols in the area have been increased.
Jewish advocacy group Canary Mission shared a photo of the graffiti on social media, noting that markings included a swastika, the word “genocide” and “AZAB,” an acronym for “All Zionists Are Bastards.”
“The vandalism ironically covered banners reading ‘Hate Has No Home Here,’” the group wrote.
The Nexus Project, a coalition that fights antisemitism, stated, “This isn’t about Zionism or anti-Zionism.”
“This is about antisemitism. There is no excuse for a swastika on a synagogue. That’s antisemitic, plain and simple,” the group wrote.
