Dear Mark Zuckerberg, the Kiddush cup is lovely, but what about anti-Semitism on FB?

The following was written by  Sarah Tuttle-Singer

Dear Mark Zuckerberg,

I was touched by your Shabbat Facebook post about your family kiddush cup, and how you’ve passed it on to your daughter, Max.

We have this kiddush cup in my family, too… Ours is made of crystal, but it’s so, so strong. It survived a pogrom and a long voyage across the ocean, and a bumpy train ride from New York to Chicago. That kiddush cup made it from Fairfield Avenue and Devon, to Fort Worth, Texas, and then all the way to California, on a street lined with skinny palm trees… And now, that kiddush cup is home in Israel. It sits on our Sabbath table. One day, it’ll go to my children. It’s my family’s history in glass — and each refraction is perfect and true, and it has endured for over a century, and it’s my intention to protect it lovingly and teach my children how to care for it, too.

It means that much to me. And now, to them.

All this is to say that I get how important it is and how meaningful it must be to have this symbol in your family to bequeath your gorgeous daughter — from generation to generation, as we say.

And more than just the gift you’re giving your daughter, I’m touched that you’re standing proud as a Jew in front of billions. That is a beautiful thing, and the greatest legacy of all.

But along with this, I implore you: For the sake of your children and for the sake of mine… PLEASE. Do more to combat anti-Semitism on Facebook.

There are simply too many groups out there — ones that glorify Hitler and wish he had finished the job, ones that continue to encourage violence and mayhem. And there are too many instances where comments get reported, but are ignored by your team.

Yes, Jews are in a special position around the world. We have our own country (I’m living in it). Many of us have influence. (You’re living that.) But the fact is, the old tropes are still around, and for many reasons, they’re crawling out from under their rocks again, little and big. And allowing groups where hate speech is fomented, allows words to become action.

We can’t let that happen. Not to us, and not to anyone else, either.

And you of all people are in a position to help stop this and make it better — and already, your post about your kiddush cup and your daughter is part of that.

So thank you.

Really and truly: Thank you for representing our people in such a beautiful way with your gift to your daughter — and I hope you’ll continue to do so in ways that will have a profoundly positive impact for us, and for everyone on this earth.

We have endured as a people for thousands of years through our fortitude and our faith, and yes: we are insistently thriving. But we can’t take this for granted. We must stand up for what is right, and we must protect one another, and cherish one another just as we protect and cherish our family heirlooms that we bequeath to our children. Because that truly is the greatest gift we can pass on to them.

Thank you.