‘Jewish Users are Subject to Unrelenting Harassment’: 180 Organizations Call on Elon Musk to Combat Anti-Semitism on Twitter

CHRIS DELMAS/Getty Images

A group of 180 organizations have called on Twitter owner Elon Musk to combat anti-Semitism on the social media platform.

“To maximize the probability that the future is good, the world needs an online platform where everyone can participate,” states the Wednesday letter. “Unfortunately, this is not the case, as Jewish users are subject to unrelenting harassment on Twitter.”

The nongovernmental organizations and civil rights groups called on Musk, who purchased Twitter last month for $44 billion, to have Twitter adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism that has been adopted by dozens of countries, including the United States.

The IHRA definition is: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The letter cited that “between 2020-201, anti-Semitic incidents surged by 78 percent in the United Kingdom and 75 percent in France, while the United States saw an all-time high with 2,717 recorded anti-Semitic incidents, a 34 percent increase from the prior year.”

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associated dean and director of global social action at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, named for the late Nazi hunter, noted that there’s been a drastic increase in content spreading anti-Semitism and Holocaust denialism.

“There is a direct correlation between social media posts and the continuing spike of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial in 2022,” he said in a statement. “We need Elon Musk’s leadership to serve as a key component of the solution to degrading online hate and anti-Semitism.”

Musk has yet to publicly address anti-Semitism on Twitter.