(JTA) — Marjorie Taylor Greene, the first-term congresswoman who expressed belief in the QAnon conspiracy theory and blamed California wildfires on Rothschild-funded space lasers, visited a number of Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Long Island on Monday.
The visit came at the invitation of Nachman Mostofsky, executive director of a politically right-wing Orthodox organization and the brother of Aaron Mostofsky, who was arrested by the FBI after participating in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol while dressed in fur pelts, the Forward reported. Both Mostofsky brothers had attended the rally that preceded the riot that day, though Nachman did not participate in the riots, and were among a number of Orthodox Jews who headed to the rally on buses chartered and organized in WhatsApp groups for Orthodox Jews.
Greene, a Georgia Republican who made national headlines for her promotion of the anti-Semitism-fueled QAnon theory during her campaign for Congress, has been a controversial presence since taking office in January. In response to her anti-Semitic comments, the House voted to strip Greene of her committee assignments just weeks later in February, with only 11 Republicans joining Democrats in the majority.
In a speech before that vote, Greene said her past comments “do not represent me.”
Mostofsky took Greene to a Brooklyn yeshiva, matzah bakery, kosher supermarket and restaurant. A photo that circulated on social media showed Greene sitting at a kosher restaurant.
Mostofsky, apparently undeterred by Greene’s past incendiary comments, called the visit an opportunity to show Greene “authentic Judaism.”
“Knowing the congresswoman for a bit now, she has been nothing but a friend and ally for our community,” he told the Forward. “From government interference, education, religious freedom, we share what is commonly called Judeo-Christian values.”
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