Actor and comedian Jerry Seinfeld denounced the “Free Palestine” movement as antisemitic in a surprise appearance at a Tuesday Duke event, likening it to rhetoric from the Ku Klux Klan during his introduction of a former Israeli hostage.
“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.
“By saying Free Palestine, you’re not admitting what you really think,” he continued. “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.’ Okay that’s honest.”
Seinfeld made the comments at an event with Omer Shem Tov, a former Israeli hostage who was abducted by Hamas at the Oct. 7, 2023, Nova music festival and held captive for 505 days. The event was sponsored primarily by Chabad at Duke, as well as the Provost’s Initiative on the Middle East, University centers and Jewish student groups. Seinfeld’s remarks came as part of a brief introduction to Shem Tov and the event’s moderator, N.C. State Sen. Sophia Chitlik, D-Durham.
His appearance at the event, which was open only to Duke students, faculty and staff, was not publicized beforehand.
The event was organized by student groups alongside the University, but Duke administrators dodged responsibility for Seinfeld’s presence.
“Tuesday’s talk was a Chabad at Duke student-led event that invited Omer Shem Tov to share the story of his spiritual journey during 505 days in captivity. Jerry Seinfeld introduced the speaker and requested his appearance not be announced beforehand, given Omer Shem Tov’s experiences were the focus of the event,” a University spokesperson wrote in a Tuesday evening email to The Chronicle. “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.”
A University spokesperson added that Chabad at Duke was the lead organizer of the event and invited the speakers, while Duke cosponsors provided logistical support.
A spokesperson for Seinfeld did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Seinfeld has been a fierce critic of antisemitism and an outspoken supporter of Israel throughout the war in Gaza. In December 2023, he traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with families of Israeli hostages and experienced a missile attack, later saying the experience gave him a deeper understanding of the experience of war.
He recounted that trip in his remarks Tuesday, which he made with his family to “call attention to the plight of the hostages.” Seinfeld said they met with “several groups of hostage family members,” connecting in a “heartbreaking moment.”
“So to be here tonight and experiencing this is really incredible,” Seinfeld said of Shem Tov’s forthcoming address.
Seinfeld last spoke publicly at Duke in May 2024, when he delivered the Commencement address for the Class of 2024. His selection sparked controversy, and roughly 100 graduates walked out of the ceremony in protest of Seinfeld’s public support for Israel.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Max Tendler contributed reporting.
Editor’s note: This story was last updated Tuesday at 9 p.m. to include a comment from Duke on who invited Seinfeld.