Zuckerberg was born in 1984 in White Plains, New York.[15] He is the son of dentist Edward Zuckerberg and psychiatrist Karen Kempner.[16] He and his three sisters, Randi, Donna, and Arielle,[2] were brought up in Dobbs Ferry, New York, a small Westchester County town about 10 miles north of New York City.[2] Zuckerberg was raised Jewish and had his bar mitzvah when he turned 13.[17] Afterward, he became an atheist.[18][19][20]
At Ardsley High School, Zuckerberg excelled in classics. He transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy in his junior year, where he won prizes in science (math, astronomy and physics) and classical studies. On his college application, Zuckerberg claimed that he could read and write French, Hebrew, Latin, and ancient Greek. He was captain of the fencing team.[19][21][22][23] In college, he was known for reciting lines from epic poems such as The Iliad.[21]