[imagesource:twitter]

Several months following his endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter) visited the location of the Nazi death camp and then reflected on his own “Jewish roots”.

Elon Musk was photographed visiting the site of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on Monday – the most notorious site of the horrors of the Holocaust – before making an appearance later that day at a conference on antisemitism organised by the European Jewish Association in the nearby Polish city of Krakow.

Musk was conveniently seen together with Daily Wire podcaster Ben Shapiro, who was also set to attend the EJA conference. All this, months after he endorsed antisemitic conspiracy theories and was criticised for allowing antisemitic messages on X, per The Guardian.

Accusations have been levelled against the billionaire by the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil rights organisation, and others. These allegations suggest that since acquiring the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022, Musk has allowed the dissemination of antisemitic messages.

In November, the billionaire sparked widespread criticism, including from the White House, after responding affirmatively on X to a user who made inflammatory remarks about Jews hating white people. He seemingly expressed indifference to antisemitism by posting, “You have said the actual truth.” Subsequently, he issued an apology for the controversial comment, deeming it the “dumbest” post he has ever made.

Several big brands, including Disney and IBM, stopped advertising on the platform last year after liberal advocacy group Media Matters found that their ads were appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and white nationalist posts.

And so the Elon Musk PR machine churns and sputters.

“Before Elon Musk’s arrival to the European Jewish Association conference, he took part in a private visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau with EJA chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Ben Shapiro and Holocaust survivor Gidon Lev. Musk laid a wreath at the wall of death and took part in a short memorial ceremony and service by the Birkenau memorial,” the EJA said in an email.

Musk was set to discuss antisemitism online with Shapiro at the conference in Krakow, which was held before International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January.

At the EJA, Musk spoke about all his ties to the Jewish community, almost as if he was trying to convince everyone that he is not antisemitic:

Elon Musk: “I grew up around a lot of Jewish people, I went to Hebrew preschool — my name is pretty Jewish.”

“I went to Israel when I was 13 — most of my friends are Jewish, sometimes I forget ‘Am I Jewish?’, I’m Jew-ish, aspirationally Jewish.” pic.twitter.com/RtJDeyktxk

— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) January 22, 2024

As The South African notes, Elon went to Waterkloof House Preparatory School and Bryanston High School. He later attended Pretoria Boys High School, which is known for being a prestigious public school.

It should also be noted that arguing that you’re not racist/sexist/antisemitic because you have black/female/Jewish friends is a “weak denial of bigotry” with logic gaps.

As The New York Post notes, “It’s a myth that proximity to blackness immunizes white people from doing racist things”, and the same goes for non-Jewish folk claiming closeness to Jewishness just to get away with previous nonsense.

Just saying.

[sources:guardian&southafrican]