New Jersey's Haim Braverman pleads guilty to making death threat to Candace Owens after her debate with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
(LifeSiteNews) – Candace Owens identified herself as the target of a violent death threat made last year by a New Jersey man who revered Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late leader of the powerful Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
Federal prosecutors announced on May 6 that Haim Braverman, 47, pleaded guilty to transmitting threats in interstate commerce.
In a video posted days after Owens publicly criticized Schneerson – known as “the Rebbe” – Braverman threatened to kill the commentator with a steel bat, stating, “I wouldn’t even stop. I’d kill you. Dead. … I’m threatening a death sentence.” Sentencing is set for September 15.
According to court documents, Braverman was angered by Owens’ remarks during a televised debate with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in September 2024. After the incident, Braverman also posted audio messages in a group chat called “Real Jewish,” where he said he would “gladly find her and kill her.”
READ: Candace Owens slams Trump-backed Zionist extremist who was just elected to Congress
In a post on X, Owens confirmed she was the unnamed victim in the case and said her family had “endured a series of attacks led by deranged Zionists” after the debate.
“Haim wanted to murder me because of my @piersmorgan debate against Shmuley,” she wrote. “Bc I offended the dead Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, who many Jews viewed as a messiah.”
The case draws attention to the ideology of Schneerson and the global reach of Chabad-Lubavitch, a Hasidic sect whose teachings are widely promoted by Israeli leaders and praised by American presidents.
Chabad’s own texts promote sharp theological and racial divisions, including doctrines that non-Jews possess inferior souls and exist to serve Jews under an expected messianic reign.
Prosecutors noted Braverman described his threats not merely as murder but as a “death sentence” – language consistent with Chabad’s promotion of the “Noahide Laws” for non-Jews. Maimonides – whose works Chabad disseminates in daily study – teaches that non-Jews can be executed with far fewer legal protections than Jews.
This reflects the gravity with which rabbinic tradition treats blasphemy against revered teachers. The Talmud claims Our Lord Jesus Christ is punished in Hell for having “mocked the words of the Sages” – a sin meriting eternal torment (Editor's warning: linked material is blasphemous) (Gittin 57a).
Israeli scholar Israel Shahak once noted, “Satire against rabbis and leaders of the community was never internalised by Judaism, not even to a small extent, as it was in Latin Christianity.” ((Israel Shahak, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, p 22.))
Though Braverman acted alone, Owens’ case raises concerns about the intersection of racial mysticism and the influence of a group that represents only 0.29% of the U.S. population.
READ: Rabbi who attacked Candace Owens is supporting Cardinal Parolin as the next pope
