Jerry Seinfeld described the “Free Palestine” movement as antisemitic and compared its messaging to that of the Ku Klux Klan during a surprise appearance at Duke University this week.
“‘Free Palestine’ is, to me, just … you’re free to say you don’t like Jews. Just say you don’t like Jews,” Seinfeld said on stage, according to the Duke Chronicle. “So it’s actually – compared to the Ku Klux Klan, I’m actually thinking the Klan is actually a little better here, because they can come right out and say, ‘We don’t like Blacks, we don’t like Jews.’ OK, that’s honest.”
The 71-year-old comedian appeared at the North Carolina campus to introduce Omer Shem Tov, an Israeli man who was abducted during the Hamas-led assault on Oct. 7, 2023, at the Nova music festival. That attack killed nearly 1,200 people in Israel and led to the abduction of 252 others. Shem Tov was held in Gaza for 505 days before being released.
Seinfeld, who is Jewish, told the audience he had traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with families of hostages in an effort to bring wider attention to their situation. His visit to Duke was primarily sponsored by Chabad at Duke, alongside the Provost’s Initiative on the Middle East, Jewish student groups, and academic centers.
A Duke spokesperson said Seinfeld requested that his participation not be announced in advance so that attention would remain on Shem Tov’s testimony.
“Duke does not preview the remarks of speakers who are invited to campus, and the invitation of speakers to campus does not imply any endorsement of their remarks,” the spokesperson said in a statement cited by the Chronicle.
Seinfeld has consistently voiced support for Israel during the war in Gaza but rarely addressed the conflict in detail. In April 2024, he told GQ that while he held “very strong” private views, he avoided discussing the war in his comedy.
His support for Israel has drawn protests on multiple occasions. About 100 students walked out of his commencement speech at Duke in May 2024, chanting “Free Palestine” and carrying Palestinian flags. The following month, he was interrupted during a comedy show in Sydney by a heckler who accused him of supporting genocide.
In February, at an event marking the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, an influencer asked him to say “Free Palestine” while taking a photo. Seinfeld responded, “I don’t care about Palestine.”
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