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Jonny Gould
Podcaster, Jonny Gould’s Jewish State

Elon Musk visits Auschwitz: “It hits you in the heart when you see it in person”

Elon Musk inside an Auschwitz gas chamber with his son

 

Elon Musk returned from Auschwitz-Birkenau for the first time and declared, “it hits you in the heart when you see it in person”.

I was there as a delegate in Krakow at the European Jewish Association symposium to see his comments in a stage interview conducted by conservative commentator, Ben Shapiro.

This podcast starts with a stirring Holocaust kadesh, recited by EJA Founder and Chairman, Rabbi Menachem Margolin.

The symposium was called “NEVER AGAIN: Lip Service or Deep Commitment?”

Also in attendance was former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who pushed back on Polish Holocaust denial, former French prime minister Manuel Valls, a strong voice against antisemitism and Israel’s minister of the diaspora, Amichai Chikli.

Here is my recording of Elon Musk’s interview.

Auschwitz was originally a purpose-built barracks for the Polish army before its repurpose as the most infamous of all concentration camps.

But the biggest shock was walking Birkenau afterwards.

It’s a much more raw memorial, exposed to the open elements and historical attempts to destroy it.

It’s a truly devastating crime scene which the fleeing Nazis tried to cover up as the Soviets advanced in January 1945.

There are no gas chambers left intact at Birkenau, only the demolished foundations and ruins covered by the seasonal snow.

The massive complex is dissected by the infamous railway line which transported the millions there from across Europe.

To the left, single storey dorms built of brick, collected from demolished houses originally on the site, but when the wartime supply of bricks ran out, prisoners were ordered to build wooden huts to the right.

The commemoration ceremony was presented atop a communist era memorial with gravestones in a variety of European languages and Hebrew.

It was cold and snowing lightly, maybe -2, but we were fully clothed, neither hungry nor scared. We weren’t in fear of being beaten to death or demoralised. Yet standing there in the drizzle felt like an echo from the past.

None of this was lost on me as I traversed the railway tracks, recited kadesh and stood with the prayer card in my hand.

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Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is the Apple Podcast number one hit show. You can find every episode dating back to 2018 including interviews with Mark Regev, Hillel Neuer, Jason Greenblatt, Douglas Murray and many more right here. 

The poignancy of a very contemporary wreath at Auschwitz which proclaims, “never again is now” after October 7th. Picture personally taken.
About the Author
Jonny Gould is a TV and radio journalist and broadcaster and his number one hit podcast on Jewish and Israeli stories has emerged as Anglo-Jewry’s go-to-interview show. “Jonny Gould’s Jewish State”, launched in 2018, is a window into the dynamic of world Jewry and Israel and serves the world as a “podcast of record“. Jonny’s also a presenter on TalkTV in the UK and the world sports contributor to Israel’s i24News. On Sky News and the BBC, he earned a reputation for outspoken views on Israel and antisemitism, which are rarely voiced in the media.
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