Musk’s influence
Elon Musk made an Oval Office appearance Tuesday with one of his children, and took questions from reporters as President Donald Trump watched. Musk defended his work leading an effort to slash spending across the government. Musk admitted yesterday that his claim that $50 million worth of condoms were allocated to Gaza was false. It was instead meant for the Gaza province in Mozambique. “Some of the things that I say will be incorrect,” he said in the Oval Office. (Times of Israel)
One of Musk’s areas of focus is cuts at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which would regulate some functions of X, the social network he owns that has been a hotbed of antisemitism since he loosened restrictions instituted when it was Twitter. (NPR, ISD)
Since the inauguration, Musk has engaged with users on X that post racist and antisemitic content, amplifying their messages to his 200 million followers. (Mother Jones)
Jewish worry
Opinion | As a rabbi, I’ve never confronted a topic as tricky as Trump: “There are moments when we need our houses of worship to offer us sanctuary from the chaotic and painful challenges of the world outside,” writes Joshua M. Davidson of Temple Emanu-El in New York City. “And yet the Talmud requires that synagogues have windows, because as Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook taught, we must never hide from those challenges. The impulse for religious leaders to hide, now, may be strong; it is also wrong.” Read his essay ►
Related… Divided over partisan politics, some rabbis are finding themselves at odds with their congregants. (Jewish Chronicle)
Thirty-four liberal Jewish groups signed a statement defending DEI programs as essential for combating discrimination, pushing back against efforts to dismantle them. (JTA)
The Trump administration’s recent executive orders, including the recognition of only two sexes and the rollback of gender-affirming care, have heightened concerns within the transgender Jewish community, prompting some families to consider moving. (JTA)
More than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups, including the Union for Reform Judaism, sued the Trump administration Tuesday, challenging a policy giving immigration agents leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. (AP)
Jewish Family Service of San Diego has issued 60-day layoff notices to migrant shelter workers following federal policy changes that halted new asylum-seeker arrivals. (NBC San Diego) | 