Mark Zuckerberg is in the news as stories emerge about the scandal in which Cambridge Analytica obtained data for political use from as many as 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or authorization. When Mark Zuckerberg delivered the commencement address at the 2017 Harvard University graduation, what Jewish reference did he make in his remarks to the graduates and their families?
Mark Zuckerberg by JD Lasica is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
A. He challenged the graduates, saying, “Right now, with social networks and other tools on the Internet, 500 million people have a way to say what they’re thinking and have their voice be heard. Your challenge is how to be heard. And the answer is not to shout–you will never be heard with 500 million people in the room. The answer is to figure out how you can be, as God was to Elijah, the still small voice in the room that will cause everyone else to be quiet and listen.”
B. Zuckerberg offered these closing remarks to the graduates. “You are about to embark on your own individual journeys. It is very likely that most of you will have a major impact on your community, this country and the world. I challenge you to always remember, however, that your purpose should be to serve your community, your country, and the world. And to never forget to give back to the society of which you are a part. I learned in Hebrew school about the concept of tikkun olam, repairing the world. That concept guides me daily, in my support of the Newark Public Schools, the efforts my wife and I have championed in combating Ebola, and our signing of the Giving Pledge, initiated by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. I urge you to make your own pledge. And it doesn’t matter how much money you have. Judaism teaches that everyone should give tzedakah, charity, even if you’re poor, because there is always someone else more in need. Let the Harvard class of 2017 be leaders in the world by leading in tikkun olam, in tzedkah, in not taking from, but rather giving back to humanity, each in your own way.”
C. He closed his remarks with the following words. “As we sit here in front of Memorial Church I’m reminded of a prayer, Mi Shebeirach, that I say whenever I face a big challenge, that I sing to my daughter thinking of her future when I tuck her in at night. And it goes, ‘May the source of strength, who’s blessed the ones before us, help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing.’ I hope you find the courage to make your life a blessing.”
D. Zuckerberg explained to the graduates some of his thinking as he first developed Facebook. “When I was growing up, I went to Hebrew School. I wasn’t a very good student, and I was much more interested in playing Where in the World is Camen Sandiego on my Apple IIGS computer. I didn’t have any interest in having a bar mitzvah. But then I told my best friend Gary, who belonged to a different synagogue, that I was thinking of telling my parents I didn’t want a bar mitzvah. He said to me, ‘Mark, are you nuts? You gotta have a bar mitzvah. Come to my Hebrew School. The teacher is so cool. You’ll love it.’ And you know what? I actually convinced my parents to send me to Gary’s Hebrew School, I did love it, and I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on having a bar mitzvah. And the lesson I learned from this, the lesson that drove my thinking with Facebook, the lesson that I carry with me to this day, is that nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend.”
E. Zuckerberg ended his remarks to the graduates, saying, “As I leave you at this special moment in your lives, I’d like to leave you with three status updates. 1–May the Lord friend you and tag you. 2–May the Lord make His profile photo shine upon you, and be trending unto you. And 3–May the Lord offer a notification about you and grant you followers.”