Is Elon Musk Jewish?

Elon Musk has once again been inserting himself into world politics, sharing seemingly antisemitic posts one day, and then flying across the world to offer support to Israel the next. It’s left many wondering where he actually stands on the matter and whether he could be Jewish himself. 

Last week the richest man in the world came under fire for seemingly approving of an antisemitic post made to his site. The entrepreneur shared the conspiracy post, but denied that it was antisemitic. However, many weren’t buying it and even the White House condemned Musk for his “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate”

It seems like someone who shares conspiratorial posts about Judaism online would have no connection to the religion, but Musk strongly denies claims of antisemitism, emphasizing his connections to Jewish culture. During a conversation with Ben Shapiro, Elon spoke about his ties to the culture, talking about the Hebrew translation of his name, which apparently means “Oak Tree.”

Was Elon Musk raised Jewish?

Whilst speaking on the topic of religion as a guest on The Full Send Podcast, Musk revealed that he was sent to a Hebrew pre-school as a child. However, he clarified that he is not Jewish, suggesting he was only sent there by his father because it was nearby. He did go to Anglican Sunday School, but claims to not be particularly religious at all.

Despite not subscribing to any particular religion, Musk has drawn attention to his paper-thin connection to Jewish culture going as far as telling Shapiro that he is “aspirationally Jewish,” whatever that means.

He’s also made multiple trips to Israel with the most recent being this week. During his visit he offered his support to the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and many Musk fanatics claim this is irrefutable proof that he is not antisemitic. 

So a simple answer to the question, is Elon Musk Jewish? Would be no, he wasn’t born into a Jewish family, and he does not practice any religion. It’s a bit of a stretch to even label him pro-Semitic. He may have some Hebrew education connections which he’s made a concerted effort to draw attention to, but despite what Musk wants you to think, he has still allowed, and in some cases promoted antisemitic material on his site.