During a wide ranging discussion on X, European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin asked Musk to come to Auschwitz “to walk there, to feel it, to understand it”.
The EJA, one of Europe’s largest Jewish organisations representing hundreds of communities across the continent regularly brings European leaders for combined symposiums and remembrance visits to Auschwitz-Birkenau,
Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of Tesla, has given a ‘’tentative yes’’ to an Auschwitz visit next January as he was discussing with key Jewish leaders and figures from across the world on his X (formerly Twitter) platform.
During the wide ranging conversation, hosted by Ben Shapiro’s publication The Daily Wire and titled “X, anti-Semitism, Faith and Free Speech,” European Jewish Association (EJA) Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin asked Musk, to come to Auschwitz “to walk there, to feel it, to understand it”.
Musk, reflecting on the question posed by the Rabbi, gave a tentative yes to the proposal.
The EJA, one of Europe’s largest Jewish organisations representing hundreds of communities across the continent regularly brings every year European leaders for combined symposiums and remembrance visits to Auschwitz-Birkenau, to remember but also to find ways of combatting antisemitism and ensuring that its lessons are learned.
Rabbi Margolin welcomed Elon Musk’s tentative commitment to join the EJA delegation, which includes many European leaders.
“It is one thing to read a history book or see pictures. But to really understand what the end station of antisemitism looks like, to really understand the depths to which the freedom of the Jewish people was denied and obliterated, to fully understand why we Jews are so worried about antisemitism, a visit to Auschwitz is a necessary and life-changing experience,’’ he stressed in a statement following the discussion.
“We have brought many European Leaders to Auschwitz-Birkenau, many of whom have never been, and it changes them. It drives them to fight the hate.’’
“Mr Musk has said he supports the Jewish people and he supports Israel. I believe that him visiting our ground zero will not only help him understand better the battle ahead against antisemitism and what is at stake, but will reassure Jews everywhere that he is taking the battle seriously.We are very much looking forward to turning the tentative to a firm yes in the weeks ahead,’’ said Rabbi Margolin.
Other participants in the conversation with Musk included former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, 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 and Adv. Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor.
Musk said that claims of rising antisemitism on his social media platform were “absurd,” adding that antisemitic posts should not be deplatformed, but should instead be met with “counterpoints.” He said that antisemites who aren’t presented with other views online are “just going to be hidden antisemites, and that’s not going to do. That’s perhaps worse.”