In a new development in the ongoing feud between Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and controversial conservative media figure Candace Owens, Boteach's daughter, Rochel Leah Taktuk, has filed a complaint with the FBI after receiving what she believes was a threatening message delivered in the form of a pizza to her home in Florida.
My father @RabbiShmuley and I have reported @RealCandaceO to the FBI. I thought she would have learned her lesson already. Don’t mess with the Jews. pic.twitter.com/F8q4RThxZ0
— rochel leah (@RL_Taktuk) August 20, 2024
According to an email sent to the FBI and obtained by The Jerusalem Post, Taktuk received a Domino’s pizza at her home on August 20, 2024.
The non-Kosher pizza, which she did not order, was delivered with a receipt bearing her name and address but with a phone number that belonged to her father, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. The pizza had not been paid for, raising immediate concerns.
The email, forwarded to multiple contacts, including her father, stated: “Today, I received a pizza pie from Domino’s, which I did not order. The receipt (which I’ve attached below) had my name and address on it and my parents' old home phone number. The pie had not been paid for. I called Domino’s, and they told me that someone ordered it online. This was obviously a threat from someone online. My father and I have been receiving death threats all week on X (formerly Twitter). The fact that they used my name and home address combined with my father’s home phone number shows this was a threat.”
In the forwarded message, Rabbi Boteach also expressed his concerns to the FBI: “What we feared may already be happening. My daughter today received what seemed a clear message in Florida, both to her and to me. It was a threatening message. The phone number was mine.
Threats amid antisemitic accusations
The address was my daughter’s. Clear message: we know who you are, and we know where you live. Right after Candace started threatening us.”
This latest incident comes after a series of increasingly heated exchanges between Boteach and Owens. As previously reported by the Post, the feud escalated when Owens, in a video broadcast to her 5.5 million followers on X, accused Boteach and his daughter of trying to kill her.
These accusations followed months of tension, with Boteach criticizing Owens for her endorsement of antisemitic remarks by figures like Kanye West.
The timing of the pizza delivery, occurring shortly after Owens’ public accusations, has raised alarms within the Boteach family. They view this as a direct threat, signaling that those responsible know their identities and locations.
Owens’ rhetoric over the past year has increasingly aligned with far-right ideologies and conspiracy theories, leading to multiple instances where she has been accused of spreading antisemitic tropes. These actions culminated in her dismissal from The Daily Wire following her comments endorsing harmful stereotypes and criticizing Israel.
The FBI has been asked to investigate the incident to ensure the safety of both Boteach and his daughter, who continue to be vocal figures in the fight against antisemitism in the United States.
Michael Starr contributed to the report.