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Students walk out of Jerry Seinfeld’s Duke commencement speech

This article was originally published at StateOfUnion.org. Publications approved for syndication have permission to republish this article, such as Microsoft News, Yahoo News, Newsbreak, UltimateNewswire and others. To learn more about syndication opportunities, visit About Us.
Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement speech at Duke University led to student walkouts amidst ongoing pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses nationwide.

Commencement ceremony

During the commencement ceremony where the “Seinfeld” co-creator was set to address the audience, video footage shared on social media captured groups of students leaving the venue.

 Palestinian flags

Some of these students carried Palestinian flags, signaling their protest against Seinfeld’s backing of Israel.

Chanting

In contrast, other attendees voiced their support for Seinfeld by chanting “Jerry!” countering the protests.

October 7

Following Hamas’ fatal attack on October 7, the comedian traveled to Israel last year.

Stand With Israel

On Oct. 9, Seinfeld posted an “I Stand With Israel” graphic on social media, writing, “I lived and worked on a Kibbutz in Israel when I was 16 and I have loved our Jewish homeland ever since. My heart is breaking from these attacks and atrocities.”

Hostile

Seinfeld expressed his surprise at the “hostile” reception he received for his visit to Israel in an interview with GQ released in April.

No regrets

Despite the reaction, he stated that he has no regrets about the trip.

Personal feelings

“I don’t preach about it,” he told the outlet. “I have my personal feelings about it that I discuss privately. It’s not part of what I can do comedically, but my feelings are very strong.”

Struggle

During an appearance on “In Depth With Graham Bensinger” the previous month, Seinfeld shared his sentiments, expressing “very close to the struggle of being Jewish in the world.”

Antisemitism

He added that antisemitism “seems to be rekindling in some areas” and that he wanted to “be supportive to the Israelis.”

College protesters

Macklemore supports college protesters in a pro-Palestine song and criticizes Biden by stating, ‘I’m not voting for you’

Israel's actions

In the past few weeks, students at various universities in the United States have been protesting against Israel’s actions in the Gaza war and calling for their colleges to disinvest from the country.

Jerry's character

“Seinfeld” was recognized for featuring guest stars like Bryant Gumbel. Jerry’s character had a notable cameo on NBC’s “Today” show, sporting the iconic puffy shirt.

Student walkouts

Despite receiving an honorary degree from Duke University, Seinfeld did not acknowledge the student walkouts in his commencement speech, nor did he make any statements regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Unfrosted

On the contrary, the director of “Unfrosted” presented a humorous address to the students, saying, “I can’t imagine how sick you are of hearing about following your passion. I say, the hell with passion. Find something you can do. That would be great. If you try something and it doesn’t work, that’s okay, too. Most things do not work.”

Inclusive society

Seinfeld commended the graduates for their aspirations to “to create a more just and inclusive society” before adding that they should “not lose your sense of humor.”

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