Elon Musk, the Holocaust, and antisemitism

Recently, Elon Musk has been at the eye of a storm of accusations of antisemitism, making a gesture that was/may be the same as/similar to the Nazi-like “heil Hitler” salute. 

Musk, the world’s richest person, owner of Tesla, SpaceX, PayPal, Twitter/X, and recently appointed Administrator of the US Department of Government Efficiency, made the gesture as a warmup act preceding President Trump’s public signing of numerous executive orders immediately following his inauguration. Musk’s making waves and headlines surrounded in controversy is not unprecedented, but rather than extinguishing the flames, he poured fuel on the fire. 

Amid the storm, friends and colleagues took both sides of if/whether Musk’s gesture was a Nazi-like salute, if it indicated anything antisemitic or not, and questioned whether this was really an issue to be discussed with many other urgent issues related to antisemitism globally and Israel’s war against Hamas. “Oh please,” one friend wrote. “No Nazi salute… weird guy but doesn’t have Nazi motivations. With so many issues needing immediate fixing, this is not one of them.” 

This was echoed by Deborah Lipstadt, the Biden administration’s special envoy combating global antisemitism, commenting, “I believe we have much, much bigger things to worry about regarding contemporary antisemitism than this particular issue.” 

Surprisingly, the ADL came out with a statement in support of Musk, “It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute. In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath.”

Even Israeli Prime Minister took to social media, defending Musk, calling him a "great friend of Israel." 

Some dismissed it all because of Musk’s being on the autism spectrum, publicly acknowledging he has Asperger’s syndrome. 

In the wake of all this, rather than quieting the storm, Musk tweeted comments indicating an awareness of the Holocaust and its Nazi leaders Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Rudolf Hess, Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, that’s seen widely as mocking the Holocaust. 

"Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down! Stop Gőring your enemies! His pronouns would’ve been He/Himmler! Bet you did nazi that coming." 

This time the ADL chief was less charitable, "We've said it hundreds of times before and we will say it again: the Holocaust was a singularly evil event, and it is inappropriate and offensive to make light of it." 

Ted Deutch, of the American Jewish Committee, chastised Musk. "Wordplay about Nazis isn’t funny. It isn’t clever. And it’s dangerous."

Making matters worse, Musk commented that Germany needed to stop focusing on the sins of its past while speaking at a campaign event of Germany's far right AfD (Alternative fuer Deutschland) while expressing his support for the party. Musk stated, "children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great grandparents. There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that."

This most recent statement earned Musk the reproach of German Pastor Jobst Bittner, Founder and President of March of Life. “A technical genius doesn't have to be a historian, but he ought to be able to think about the consequences of his statements beyond economic power interests. Elon Musk should know that with his advice to the Germans to put the guilt of the past behind them, he is once again victimizing tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors and their families and consigning them to oblivion. His statements are among the classic antisemitic stereotypes that belittle the Holocaust. German culture and German values were unable to prevent the death of six million Jews. Anyone who promotes German nationalism and downplays Germany's National Socialist past has not understood that this makes him a bad advisor for Germany's future.”

Whether Musk’s inauguration day gesture was a Nazi salute is debatable. No stranger to his own special media platform which has vowed to confront antisemitism, Musk could have taken the high road and apologized for his perceived insensitivity with something as simple and humble as, “I’m sorry for the insensitive hand gesture. It was definitely not intended as a Nazi salute, and I regret any misperception and offense. I will strive to do better and to use this platform to prevent displays and support of antisemitism in the future.” 

He didn’t, and his subsequent tweet and AfD appearance gave reason to think that indeed, his gesture was antisemitic. 

What about Netanyahu’s comment that he is a friend of Israel? A year ago, Musk traveled to Auschwitz with Ben Shapiro. After the visit, Musk confessed to being “naïve” about the extent of antisemitism, noting that is because most of his friends are Jewish and he has had little contact with it in his own life. “Two thirds of my friends are Jewish, I have twice as many Jewish friends as non-Jewish friends. I’m like Jewish by association — I’m aspirationally Jewish.”

Growing up in South Africa, it’s entirely possible that Musk had no meaningful education about or awareness of the Holocaust, as is the case in most of the world. Indeed, the crime that gave definition to the term genocide is also one of the most overlooked crimes in the world as well. 

In addition, Musk traveled to Israel shortly after the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, displaying solidarity and sensitivity. These surely come across as being a “friend” as Netanyahu contends. 

How and why the mixed messaging, and his stating and doing things that are at best insensitive, if not overtly antisemitic? Can one be a true friend of Israel and still engage in antisemitic things? 

In my experience, the answer is yes. For most of my career I have worked to build bridges between Jews and Christians and Christians with Israel, building close relationships with many Christians of many backgrounds. In the course of this, I have come across incredible and genuine love and support, and at the same time comments and tropes that are clearly rooted in antisemitism, even from people who are genuine friends, as Netanyahu considers Musk. 

Speaking once with a friend, the head of a major international ministry, I was told that I can’t be Jewish because I didn’t “have a Jewish nose.” 

More recently, speaking in a church, I was taken aback by the pastor commenting that the “Jews killed Jesus,” which is not just historically and theologically inaccurate, but a trope that’s been the trigger for countless pogroms and attacks on Jews and Jewish communities for centuries. 

Another time, a pastor commented about the gesture I made in 2022, to bring 210 pounds of baby formula from Israel to two churches in the US where shortages of formula were rampant, noting that I “could have made money selling the baby formula, because Jews are good at making money.”

In 2022, I reached out to two Kentucky legislators who were caught on a hot mike talking about “Jewing down” someone. When called out as antisemitic by organizations that monitor trends in and actual displays of antisemitism, they apologized, and said they had no idea it was antisemitic, but just a term that people use, particularly in the American south. 

I wrote to them, praying that this could be “a learning opportunity and something from which positive things could come out.” They invited me to visit with them in the state Capitol where it was clear to me, they bore no hatred or even discrimination toward Jews, and supported Israel entirely. 

If nobody did so, I hope these words will trigger Elon Musk to reach out to use this as a learning opportunity. Jews often think that non-Jews are or should be aware and sensitive to our history and the many expressions of antisemitism, what I call the “Fifty Shades of Antisemitism.” Not every expression of antisemitism is about gassing and burning us. But none are good or healthy, or appropriate in any form. Rather than a knee-jerk crucifixion of anyone who utters a single, or even multiple, antisemitic comments, where possible these should be treated in a way to create awareness and sensitivity. Indeed, there are unrepentant antisemites like Kanye West (paraphrasing Shakespeare, an antisemite by any other name would smell as nasty were he not a Ye called), Candace Owens who proudly owns the title, and endless others who see no problem and no need for humility and atonement much less education and sensitivity. 

This week is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, on which International Holocaust Memorial Day is observed. It’s imperative to memorialize the six million Jews murdered, honor and comfort the survivors, and a time to commit to fight antisemitism in all its forms. It’s a good time for contrition and remorse for those who are not aware, or sensitive to, the many ways in which antisemitism still flourishes. Ignorance is not a crime. It can be treated. 

@ElonMusk, it’s not too late. I’m here to help. If nobody has reached out to you yet, I volunteer to be a confidential, non-judgmental, and helpful sounding board.  You know where to find me, no1abba.