Elon Musk rally gesture: Some Long Island Jewish leaders find it troubling, no matter the intention

Some Jewish leaders on Long Island on Tuesday were critical of a hand gesture Elon Musk made at President Donald Trump's inaugural event that has drawn criticism for looking like a Nazi salute.

The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitism and has tangled with Trump over his stance on immigration in the past, quickly downplayed the incident, saying on Musk's X social media platform Monday that the billionaire Trump supporter "made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge."

The fresh scrutiny of Musk’s gesture comes days after a ceasefire took effect in the Israel-Hamas war, and with concerns running high over allegations of antisemitism spreading across college campuses and around the globe. On Long Island, the Jewish population is about 300,000, according to local Jewish groups.

Musk, the richest man in the world and a close Trump ally, was addressing the crowd at a celebratory rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Monday several hours after Trump was sworn in as president.

"I just want to say thank you for making it happen — thank you," he said, referring to Trump’s election.

He then slapped his right hand to his heart, and — with his fingers together and palm down — extended his right arm outward in a 45-degree angle salute, as he also emitted a grunt and bit his bottom lip. He turned around and repeated the gesture to the crowd behind him.

"My heart goes out to you," he said after he finished the gesture. "It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."

Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, rabbi emeritus of Temple Israel in Lawrence, a Reform synagogue, said there was no evidence that Musk intended to imitate the Nazi salute but added that the effect of his gesture was troublesome.

"There is no doubt that this was more than offensive to so many, eliciting painful memories," Rosenbaum said.

As a public figure, Musk should know that the preciseness of his words and actions matter, he added.

"A miscalculation of a milliliter when you send a rocket into space has consequences; a misspoken word, an action, whether intentional or nonintentional, has consequences," Rosenbaum said.

Late Monday, Musk shared a user’s post on X that said the "salute hoax" was part of a Democratic "dirty tricks campaign."

Musk added his own comment to the post: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired."

Dr. Richard Feldstein, a Jewish resident of Roslyn who supported Trump’s presidential bid, said Musk’s gesture was "a little bit concerning or worrisome to a certain degree. But I have to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"It went out as if it was a Nazi salute," he added. "But I don’t think that was his intention by any means."

Critics of Musk point to his endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany party in upcoming elections in Germany. Some members of that party have been accused of using Nazi slogans in speeches and of downplaying the Holocaust.

Rabbi Howard Buechler of the Dix Hills Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue, said he had no idea what Musk intended with the gesture on Monday but that the billionaire should be cautious. Trump has said Musk will help lead a new federal Department of Government Efficiency, aimed at rooting out government waste.

"Anyone in official or unofficial leadership in this country of any party has to be very careful about what they say and what they do," Buechler said. "Perceptions and misperceptions can make a difference, and we have to be vigilant not to do anything that can even appear to be relating to a hate group or to neo-Nazis."

Rabbi Mendel Teldon, head of the orthodox Chabad of Mid-Suffolk in Commack, said he thinks Jewish people should not get caught up in the debate over Musk’s actions.

"Society has a tremendous amount of items to work on to better our society in educating and teaching the next generation good things and to be upstanding members of society," he said. "The outrage about this incident is a distraction from the real work that we have to be doing."