Avraham Berkowitz@GlobalRabbi
Hi @mariaressa
I am addressing this long post to you here on X, knowing it will reach you directly.
In a decade from now, you could ask any listener what they remember from your Harvard commencement speech, and the vast majority would only recall these shocking words from your 23-minute address.
“Because I accepted your invitation to be here today, I was attacked online and called anti-semitic. By power and money”, Because they want power and money.”
Words you carefully selected, reviewed, and edited for months, a speech that you describe was more difficult for you to prepare than your @NobelPrize acceptance lecture.
In the Ethics of The Fathers 1:11, Avtalyon, the great rabbinic sage from Jerusalem, in the 1st century BCE cautioned, "Sages, be careful with your words, lest you incur the penalty of exile, and be carried off to a place of evil waters."
Your words hold weight, and it's vital to avoid ambiguity and imprecision, as they can lead people astray.
Your Nobel Prize celebrated your defense of free speech and your commitment to combating fake news and misinformation, and speaking truth to power.
Your entire career and public role is to amplify the words of King Solomon in Proverbs “Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose.
You are a leading voice in warning of the danger of how conspiratorial words online can lead to physical hate offline.
One of the most pernicious outcomes of social media is the record level of Antisemtic and hate speech targeted at Jews in 2024.
Shockingly, during your commencement speech, you violated the values you espouse by allowing your words to be interpreted to fan the flames of age old tropes of Jew hatred of how they lust for money and power.
While I acknowledge that your intention may not have been directed against Jews with money and power, but rather against those in politics, media, and business including Harvard Alumni, both Jewish and non-Jewish, who accused you of being antisemitic online, because they seek power and wealth, you knew that your words would easily be misconstrued.
When you stood on that podium, it was your voice that was the power. Now it is the public that must demand a clarification to speak truth to your power.
The President of Harvard Chabad, Rabbi Hershey Zarchi, was correct to ask you to clarify your words on stage, immediately after the speech, that he and many others found to be antisemitic and when you would not agree to publicly clarify, he did the most important public protest against your easily misconstrued words and walked off the stage.
The walk off of the year, this time standing tall with truth to your power.
You should clarify your words and explain what you meant and who you were referring to on one side and apologize for failing to be vigilant in avoiding language that inadvertently fuels bigotry, Jew hatred and discrimination.
You also used similar words later in your speech to describe Mark Zuckerberg and the tech bros, controlling the world.
When George Soros was named in political attack ads by the right, during the last presidential election cycle, it was rightfully called out by the left as antisemetic tropes.
I wouldn’t otherwise include your words against Mark Zuckerberg as antisemetic tropes, as I believe his success and the power of Meta/ Facebook to be the fulfillment of what is possible in the USA.
Considering how you were carefully vague on who you were referring to in your response to those calling you antisemitic, your attack on Mark Zuckerberg can also be misconstrued as another “Jew” controlling the world.
Yes, it is horrible and unnerving to be accused of being Antisemitic, hate speech was hurled at you during your career from being accused of being part of the CIA to being a communist, you should relate personally to what has long been done to Jews no matter if they are rich, poor, exalted or downtrodden.
