14 American Jewish organizations have declared they will be leaving the X social media platform, citing a surge in hateful and antisemitic content since Elon Musk’s takeover of the company. The move comes despite Benjamin Netanyahu and even the left-wing ADL supporting Musk during the recent “Nazi salute” hoax.
The Times of Israel reports that in a joint statement released on January 27, 2025, the coalition of Jewish groups, which includes major organizations such as the Union for Reform Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Keshet, Mazon, T’ruah, and the Workers Circle, announced their decision to abandon the X platform in the first quarter of the year. The statement accuses X, under the stewardship of billionaire owner Elon Musk, of promoting hate, antisemitism, and societal division.
The statement begins by invoking Jewish tradition and the power of words: “In Jewish tradition, the prohibition on ‘lashon hara,’ or ‘evil speech,’ reminds us of words’ power to harm. The great sage Maimonides taught that even when true, speaking disparagingly of others is ‘the evil tongue.’ (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 7:2.) Speech, whether spoken or written, can cause pain, shame, and instigate action to devastating effect. Words can also uplift and heal. They must always be chosen with care, designed to call in rather than call out, to lift up rather than tear down.”
The groups then explain their decision to leave X: “That is why, after careful consideration, we are choosing to stop actively posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, which has become rife with toxic speech. We will transition away from active engagement on X in the first quarter of 2025.”
The statement continues, “As Jewish groups committed to healing what is broken in our world, we aim to do our work through means that similarly foster repair. In study after study, as well as our lived experiences, X has become a platform that promotes hate, antisemitism, and societal division. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X has reduced content moderation, promoted white supremacists, and re-platformed purveyors of conspiracy theories. Musk himself has re-posted content that is antisemitic and xenophobic, promoting it to his millions of followers.”
The groups express deep concerns over the direction X has taken since the Tesla and SpaceX CEO acquired the platform for $44 billion in late 2022. They point to Musk’s reinstatement of previously banned accounts known for spreading hate and disinformation, as well as his own posts they claim amplify antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories.
While some of the organizations may opt to keep their X accounts active to prevent bad actors from hijacking their account names, they will cease posting content on the platform as they transition away from it in the coming months.
The announcement comes just after Musk was accused of flashing a Nazi salute in a media-fueled hate hoax. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Musk had been “falsely smeared” and is “a great friend to Israel”
Read more at the Times of Israel here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
