Maryland hate-crime commissioner Zainab Chaudry continues to post inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric on social media after being suspended from the body, and subsequently reinstated, for comparing the Jewish state to Nazi Germany.
Chaudry, the Maryland director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), was temporarily suspended in November by the state’s Commission on Hate Crime Response after she made social-media posts dismissing reports of Hamas killing Israeli babies as “fake.”
Ten days after the 10/7 atrocities, Chaudry compared Israel to Nazi Germany: “That moment when you become what you hated most,” she posted beside graphics of Nazi flags at the Brandenburg Gate in 1936.
In December, Chaudry was reinstated to the commission following attempts by CAIR to pressure Maryland attorney general Anthony Brown. The body, comprised of 20 representatives, was designed to “develop strategies to prevent and respond to hate crime activity and evaluate state laws and policies relating to hate crimes.”
After being reinstated, Chaudry is back to bashing Israel on social media.
In a since-deleted post on X, Chaudry accused Jewish actress Mayim Bialik of “proudly endorsing” a “children’s book glorifying the murder” of children.
The book, Under the Rockets’ Glow, was written by Roman Sandler as a way of communicating with his young daughter “in the wake of October 7” the “complexities of the situation in Israel.” The cover features a father and daughter sitting together and looking out as rockets cross the Israeli night sky with farmland, suburbs, and a city in view.
“This challenge inspired me to write a book that, while only tangentially touching upon the events of that day, delves into the Jewish narrative to provide a context for understanding our profound bond with the land,” Sandler explained on Amazon. “It’s a story for children, and thus, it subtly weaves through our history rather than dwelling on the specifics of the conflict.”
However, after Bialik recommended the book in early February, Chaudry denounced the former Big Bang Theory star, accusing her of being complicit in war crimes. “This is a children’s book glorifying the murdering of other children that actress Mayim Bialik is proudly endorsing. Zionism is a racist, deadly and violent ideology,” Chaudry wrote on Facebook.
“Books that sanitize and normalize genocide are brainwashing the next generation,” Chaudry added.
The social-media post was eventually removed, according to Chaudry, “because it unfortunately violated their ‘community guidelines,’” she explained to National Review over email.
“Mayiam Bialik has been widely criticized for highlighting and endorsing this hateful children’s book, the cover of which appears to depict an Israeli father and daughter enjoying the view as the Israeli government fires missiles at Gaza, where over 30,000 Palestinians – mostly other children and women – have been killed by Israeli strikes and sniper fire,” Chaudry explained in a statement.
“This book reportedly sanitizes and normalizes war crimes and violence. No one should appear to celebrate or platform the genocidal mass bombing of civilians in Gaza, especially not to impressionable children.”
Similar sentiments were expressed on Goodreads, an online book community, with many giving it a one-star rating days after Bialik’s endorsement. “Genocide isn’t cute!” one typical comment reads. Another called it “disgusting.”
“Ah yes let me write a book for my child as to why I want other children dead. The author and anyone who enjoyed this book has thousands of children’s blood on their hands. May we all witness the liberation of palestine and the fall of these colonizers,” a third wrote.
While Chaudry’s social-media comments led to her suspension, Attorney General Brown insisted at the time he did not have the authority to expel her from the body.
“While we understand that legal technicalities are tying the Attorney General’s hands, it’s incredibly disturbing that someone who has posted such hateful, anti-Jewish things on social media is back on a commission intended to fight hate crimes in Maryland,” Howard Libit, the executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council told WMAR-2.
Brown and CAIR declined to comment.
Under the Rockets’ Glow received a glowing testimonial from Rabbi David Wolpe, a visiting scholar at Harvard who recently stepped down from the college’s antisemitism task force.
“Going from Abraham to the Six Day War, the book traces the resilient journey of the Jewish people and their unyielding connection to Israel,” Sandler describes the book. “This narrative is my heartfelt attempt to instill a sense of perspective and pride in young readers. It’s more than a history lesson; it’s a story of perseverance and enduring hope. My hope is that this book sparks a light of understanding and pride in our kids about our rich, twisty history.”
Maryland legislators recently introduced a bill to remove Chaudry and CAIR from the hate-crime commission. A Change.Org petition calling for the Maryland legislature to pass the bill has racked up more than 10,000 signatures.
“This is a manufactured controversy that’s designed to minimize and silence the communities that are simply asking for justice,” Chaudry said at a legislative hearing held to discuss the bill.