Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest individual and the mind behind X (formerly Twitter) and Tesla, is set to engage in a discussion with prominent Jewish figures on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The gathering arises from escalating tensions between Musk and the organized Jewish community, stemming from the surge in antisemitism on his social media platform. The conversation is scheduled to go live at 7 p.m. (9 a.m. PST) on X Spaces, the platform's audio medium
Among the participants expected to join Musk are conservative media figure Ben Shapiro; Rabbi Ari Lamm, CEO of Bnai Zion; Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Natan Sharansky, former chairman of the Jewish Agency, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, an author and social media influencer; Adv. Alan Dershowitz; Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman and founder of the European Jewish Association; Rabbi Manis Friedman, co-founder of Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies; and potentially Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, former president of Israel.
Notably, all the participants are men, and the majority of them lean toward the conservative side of the political and social spectrums. While other heads of Jewish organizations were initially invited to participate, it remains unclear whether the final invitations were withheld due to a lack of interest or a strategic decision by Musk's team to maintain a small and intimate gathering.
This meeting comes on the heels of a series of controversial incidents involving Musk. Earlier this month, he threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for billions of dollars and publicly endorsed a hashtag popularized by white supremacists. Musk's actions sparked outrage, as he engaged with a white supremacist on X and endorsed the hashtag #BanTheADL, which gained traction among antisemitic users. The ADL later reported that neo-Nazi marchers in Florida were chanting “Ban the ADL.”
Last week, Musk's meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised questions about whether it was an attempt to salvage his public image. However, sources close to Musk clarified that this meeting had been planned months in advance, predating the dispute between ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and Musk. Greenblatt expressed his appreciation for Prime Minister Netanyahu “raising concerns about the proliferation of antisemitism” during their conversation at Tesla’s offices in California last Tuesday. He voiced his hope that Musk would take these concerns seriously, making the platform safer and more inclusive for all users, particularly its Jewish community.
Antisemitism has spiked on X since Musk took the wheel
Research conducted by CASM Technology and ISD in March unveiled a significant and sustained spike in antisemitic posts on X since Musk's acquisition of the company on October 27, 2022. Analysts identified a total of 325,739 English-language antisemitic Tweets within the nine months from June 2022 to February 2023, with the weekly average of such Tweets surging by 106%—from 6,204 to 12,762—when comparing the periods before and after Musk's takeover.
This high-profile meeting between Elon Musk and Jewish leaders carries profound implications for the fight against antisemitism in the digital age, with the world watching closely as they confront this critical issue head-on.