A debate over the roots of rising antisemitism in Europe spilled into a high-profile public confrontation this week, pitting the Trump administration’s antisemitism envoy against a
leading European rabbi — and drawing an unusual intervention from tech billionaire Elon Musk.
The dispute was sparked by comments made Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos by Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, during a panel on antisemitism, extremism and social cohesion.
Asked about the sharp increase in antisemitic incidents across Germany and other parts of Europe, Goldschmidt said the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel had acted as a catalyst, unleashing a global surge in antisemitism. He cited what he described as organized and, in some cases, state-backed antisemitic activity on university campuses and in public spaces.
Goldschmidt also tied the issue to broader political shifts across the continent, arguing that immigration has fueled insecurity among native European populations and contributed to the rise of far-right movements.
“I think the rise of the extreme right in many European countries is a response to the insecurity felt by the so-called old Europeans regarding the new immigrants who came from the Middle East,” Goldschmidt said.
He added that Jewish and Muslim communities share a common interest in combating both antisemitism and Islamophobia, pointing to past interfaith efforts he said had helped ease tensions and promote social cohesion.
Those remarks drew a sharp rebuke from Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, who criticized Goldschmidt in a post on X. The exchange marked one of Kaploun’s first major public interventions since his Senate confirmation in December.
“Blaming ‘old Europe’ for the present surge in antisemitism is disgraceful,” Kaploun wrote, arguing instead that mass migration has been a central driver of antisemitic violence and threats to Jewish communities in recent years.
“I am proud to serve in an administration that understands that mass migration is a huge driver of antisemitism,” he continued. “It creates dramatic social changes and threatens the safety of all citizens. This administration, led by President Trump and Secretary Rubio, recognizes and confronts today’s challenges with clarity. Mass migration itself threatens the safety of Jews and all communities.”
Musk, the owner of X, amplified Kaploun’s message by reposting it and replying, “Exactly. Thank you for speaking up,” thrusting the disagreement into a much wider public spotlight.
Goldschmidt pushed back within hours, saying his remarks had been mischaracterized and taken out of context. He denied blaming European society or culture for antisemitism and emphasized that he sees the problem as emerging from multiple ideological sources.
“I never blamed ‘old Europe’ for the current rise in antisemitism,” Goldschmidt wrote. He said his comments were intended to describe political reactions to immigration, not to justify or excuse antisemitic attacks. Goldschmidt reiterated that antisemitism today comes from the far right, the far left and radical Islamist movements.
The public exchange underscores growing divisions among Jewish leaders over how to define and confront antisemitism at a time when debates over immigration, integration and public safety have become increasingly polarized — particularly in U.S. politics.
Kaploun’s focus on migration closely mirrors language used by Vice President JD Vance, who said in December that reducing immigration was “the single most significant thing” the United States could do to combat antisemitism, while rejecting claims that antisemitism is rising within the Republican Party.
The clash also reflects deeper institutional tensions within global Jewish leadership. Kaploun is affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which has expanded its influence across Russia and parts of Europe. Goldschmidt, a former chief rabbi of Moscow who left Russia after refusing to endorse the war in Ukraine, represents a European rabbinic establishment that has at times competed with Chabad over authority and representation in Jewish communal life.
Together, the episode illustrates how disagreements over antisemitism — once largely confined to academic or communal forums — are increasingly playing out on global political and social media stages. Photo by Quinn Dombrowski from Berkeley, USA, Wikimedia commons.