An Israel-based Jewish educational organization has rejected accusations made by American political commentator Candace Owens that the group’s founding rabbi sought to bribe pastors to criticize her in their sermons.
“We are aware of a recent public statement made by Ms. Candace Owens in which she falsely claims that Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin, founder and chancellor emeritus of Ohr Torah Stone, is offering bitcoin to Christian pastors in exchange for sermons criticizing Ms. Owens and Mr. Tucker Carlson,” Rabbi Kenneth Brander, president and rosh yeshivah (dean) of the organization, said in a statement. “This accusation is entirely false, baseless and defamatory.”
Owens wrote in a post on X on Thursday, affixing a screenshot of an email she claimed was sent by Riskin to an unnamed pastor: “Noticing an increase in anti ‘Candace and Tucker’ content.
“Today we showed you verifiable proof that Rabbis in Israel are offering, among other things, BITCOIN to pastors to preach against us on Sunday. Read the email from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin! THIS IS DEMONIC,” her post continued.
The 36-year-old pundit, who has nearly seven million followers on X, previously fell out with mainstream conservatives after she embraced antisemitic rhetoric.
The Brooklyn-born Riskin, 85, who served as the founding chief rabbi of Efrat in Judea for nearly four decades after moving to Israel in 1983, has also worked to promote ties with evangelical leaders.
“Neither Rabbi Riskin nor Ohr Torah Stone has ever offered, promised or suggested any form of compensation—monetary or otherwise—to clergy of any faith for making political or public statements of any kind,” Brander’s statement continued.
The educational center’s response concluded by calling on Owens to retract her statement and issue a formal apology.
Last month, Owens outed herself as the political commentator who received death threats from a New Jersey Jewish man after she insulted the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Last year, YouTube suspended the podcaster for antisemitic content over her claim that “Jewish people control the media.”
