Elon Musk said he is “Jewish by association” during a conversation with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro after a visit to the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz in Poland.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of the social media platform X, made the comments during a conference on anti-Semitism organized by the European Jewish Association. The association arranged for Musk to make a private visit to Auschwitz, where an estimated 1.1 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.
“I have to admit that I'm somewhat naive about this matter,” the billionaire tech mogul said in a speech. “In the circles in which I move, I see almost no anti-Semitism. … Two-thirds of my friends are Jewish.” Video published by Bloomberg Technology on YouTube. “I have twice as many Jewish friends as my non-Jewish friends. I'm like a Jew by association.”
The association organized the visit to address the wave of global anti-Semitism after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“I'm an aspiring Jew,” Musk continued. “So I wondered: What are people talking about with this anti-Semitism?” Because I never hear that in dinner conversations. “It's ridiculous, at least in my circle of friends.”
During the conversation, Musk also addressed “pro-Hamas rallies” on “elite college campuses that are supposed to be enlightened.”
“You're not supposed to promote hatred,” he added.
Musk was joined by association president Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Shapiro and Holocaust survivor Gidon Lev during his visit. The association said in a Facebook post that the man laid a wreath on the Death Wall and participated in a short memorial ceremony held at the Birkenau Memorial.
Musk caused an uproar in November and was condemned by the White House after he backed an anti-Semitic allegation on X. “I told the actual truth,” Musk wrote in response to a post that falsely claimed that Jewish people are driven to hate white people.
On the same topic, Musk attacked the Anti-Defamation League after its CEO Jonathan Greenblatt pointed out the danger of promoting anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Musk was also condemned for allowing users to post bigoted content, including anti-Semitic posts, on the social media platform.
“Beer buff. Devoted pop culture scholar. Coffee ninja. Evil zombie fan. Organizer.”
More Stories
Narendra Modi increases his anti-Muslim rhetoric in the Indian election campaign
Gaza students thank pro-Palestinian demonstrators on American college campuses
Venice Biennale: The Pope makes a historic visit and declares that “the world needs artists”