In a letter published by a group of Jewish leaders, concerns were raised about the increase in antisemitic rhetoric on X, formerly Twitter, with much of the blame being placed on owner Elon Musk, who they believe has “facilitated and enabled” this growth.
The leaders emphasized that X has become a breeding ground for antisemitism, posing one of the biggest threats to Jews in recent years. They warned that if nothing changes, hate speech and radicalization will ultimately lead to violence.
Comprised of rabbis, academics, leaders of Jewish organizations, and artists with diverse ideologies and beliefs, the group came together to address the danger that Elon Musk and X pose to Jews and others.
The organizer of the letter, Elad Nehorai, stated that their goal is twofold: to demand a more accurate portrayal of the situation and to push for advertisers and app stores to withdraw their support.
The Jewish leaders specifically called on major advertisers such as Disney, Apple, and Amazon to cease funding ads on the platform. Additionally, they urged Apple and Google to remove X from their application stores.
This letter follows Musk’s recent attacks on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a watchdog group dedicated to combating hate speech and antisemitism. Musk accused the ADL of falsely accusing him and X of being anti-Semitic, threatening to sue them for allegedly causing a significant drop in the company’s value, estimated at $22 billion. He blamed the ADL for the majority of their revenue loss.
These threats came after the ADL released a report documenting a rise in what they termed “virulent antisemitism” on X, coinciding with Musk’s relaxation of content moderation policies on the platform.
The group of Jewish leaders expressed alarm over Musk’s targeting of the ADL, not due to their personal views of the organization, as they encompass a wide range of perspectives. Their concern stems from Musk utilizing the organization as a symbolic representation of Jewish power, which they consider antisemitic.
They outlined several instances they found to be “egregious” examples of Musk’s alleged antisemitic actions. These include his participation in the #BanTheADL hashtag, initiated by neo-Nazi figures. They also criticized his engagement with and alleged promotion of antisemitic accounts, as well as his decision to reinstate “some of the most vicious antisemites in America and beyond.”
Furthermore, they accused Musk of spreading overt antisemitism, such as disseminating the false idea that “65% of Jewish college students support censorship,” and engaging in antisemitic conspiracy theories by linking George Soros with the Rothschilds and promoting the Great Replacement conspiracy theory.
The letter concluded that Elon Musk has demonstrated a refusal to acknowledge the harm he poses to Jews, minorities, and vulnerable communities. Previous attempts to appeal to him, including by the ADL, have been futile. The group believes that applying external pressure, particularly through hitting him where it hurts, is the only effective measure to combat the further spread of extremism and antisemitism.
The Hill reached out to X for comment but received an automated reply stating, “Busy now, please check back later.”
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