Elon Musk has courted controversy – particularly amongst the Jewish community – for what appeared to be a “Nazi salute” following the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.
The world’s richest man – who was born in Pretoria to Maye and Errol Musk – has strongly refuted the rumours.
Elon has previously courted controversy for enabling anti-Semitic posts on his social media platform, X, under the guise of “freedom of speech.”
ELON MUSK: WHERE DOES HIS NAME COME FROM?
Elon Musk’s first name is derived from Hebrew, a language spoken by Jewish people, and means “oak tree.” He was named after his mother Maye’s grandfather, John Elon Haldeman.
The 53-year-old’s second name, Reeve, is from his maternal grandmother’s maiden name. Maye’s maiden name – Haldeman – is of German descent.
Elon is the first of three children, with siblings Kimbal and Tosca.
JEWISH OR JEW-ISH?
In 2023, Elon Musk courted controversy after he was accused of permitting antisemitic commentary on his X platform. However, the eldest son of Errol and Maye has made it clear he does not support hate speech.
His mother, Maye, and sister, Kimbal, have also rubbished claims that Elon is anti-semitic.
According to The Guardian, Elon Musk visited the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland in 2024. Following that, he was a guest speaker at the EJA conference, where he spoke about his ties to Judaism.
He said: “I grew up around a lot of Jewish people. I went to a Hebrew preschool. My name is very Jewish…super Jewish.
“I went to Israel when I was 13. I’m certainly checking the box on a lot of things. Most of my friends are Jewish.
He added: “I’m Jew-ish. Aspirationally Jewish”.
DO YOU THINK ELON MUSK’S ACTIONS WERE MISINTERPRETED?
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