Palm Harbor Messianic rabbi is the latest Floridian accused in U.S. Capitol riot [View all]

A federal complaint accuses Michael Stepakoff of Palm Habor of entering the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

A rabbi who leads a Palm Harbor synagogue is among the latest Floridians to be accused of crimes related to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

A federal criminal complaint filed this week in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. alleges that Michael Stepakoff entered the Capitol after a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the building, disrupting congressional certification of the electoral college vote.

Stepakoff, 55, leads Temple New Jerusalem, a Messianic synagogue in Palm Harbor and is a former lawyer. He is now one of at least 17 Floridians who have been accused of crimes related to the insurrection.

Messianic Judaism is a syncretic religion that combines Jewish traditions with Christianity, including the belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Most Jews consider it rooted in Christianity and not representative of their faith, according to the Pinellas County Board of Rabbis.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/nation-world/2021/01/29/palm-harbor-rabbi-is-the-latest-floridian-accused-in-us-capitol-riot/